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| November 26, 2003 |
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World Media Watch by Gloria R. Lalumia BUZZFLASH NOTE: Once again, these are the views and perspectives of the individual papers, not of BuzzFlash or Gloria. They offer BuzzFlash readers a way of reading what other nations are saying about the crisis, whether we like it or not. We repeat: This is not an endorsement of their viewpoints. * * * WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR NOVEMBER 26, 2003 1//The Independent, UK--BLAIR'S SHOW OF UNITY WRECKED AS CHIRAC GOES ON OFFENSIVE OVER IRAQ (Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac clashed over the future of Iraq yesterday, despite making a concerted joint effort to "move on" from their bitter dispute over the war...M. Chirac's intervention again pushed Mr Blair into the awkward position of trying to bridge the gap between the US and Britain's European Union partners.) 2//The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea--PENTAGON DENIES PLAN TO MOVE TROOPS OUT OF KOREA (...The Pentagon said that no discussion or decision was made on a U.S. troop reduction in Korea, and that any realignment of U.S. troops here would be made under close consultation with the Korean government. For several practical reasons, however, it is becoming more likely that some of the U.S. forces in Korea are to be sent to Iraq. The U.S. Army currently has 485,000 troops in 10 Infantry divisions. Of the U.S. Army forces, nine divisions have been or are scheduled to be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan...Only the U.S. Army's 2nd Infantry Division is being excluded from the assignment, because the United States takes the North Korean military threat seriously, and has no wish to compromise its promise of security for South Korea. Yet it remains unclear how long the United States will be able to keep its promise, at a time when more troops are urgently needed in Iraq.) 3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--US SENATORS SEEK SAUDI SANCTIONS (After targeting both Syria and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, some pro-Israel United States senators have tabled a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia for its alleged ties to international terrorism. But some observers say the bill might not pass because of the special economic and strategic ties between Washington and the oil-rich Arab kingdom. The Saudi Arabia Accountability Act for 2003 was sponsored late last week by a group led by hawkish pro-Israel Republican Senator Arlen Specter, a senior member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Two other members of President George W Bush's Republican Party and four opposition Democrats also sponsored the bill.) 4//Gulf News Online, United Arab Emirates--MEDIA BATTLE RAGES ON AIR TO WIN OVER ARAB MINDS (Three foreign powers are engaged in an airwaves war in the UAE and the Arab world. BBC Arabic of the UK, Radio Sawa of the US and Radio Monte Carlo, France's Arabic radio station, are slugging it out to win over hearts and minds in the region. BBC Arabic and Radio Monte Carlo have been on the airwaves longer, mostly in low-quality AM and shortwave frequencies. But Radio Sawa's entry two years ago with clear digital radio technology has led to an industry shake-up... While BBC has established a reputation for fair reporting among Arab listeners, some critics slam Radio Sawa for being nothing but a mass-produced US propaganda machine..."Sawa's music is good. But listening to its news bulletins is like listening to Israeli radio," said Amin M., 21, a student.) 5//The Moscow Times, Russia--OPINION: YUKOS AND THE STATE OF U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS (...For the past few weeks President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have been busy with damage control. The Kremlin has confirmed its commitment to a liberal economic policy and to economic reform. It has sought to calm investors and to explain its actions to foreign leaders. Russia will be judged not by its words, however, but by its deeds...A number of influential leaders in the United States have already drawn their conclusions, however.) * * * 1//The
Independent 25 November 2003 BLAIR'S SHOW OF UNITY WRECKED AS CHIRAC GOES ON OFFENSIVE
OVER IRAQ Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac clashed over the future of Iraq yesterday, despite making a concerted joint effort to "move on" from their bitter dispute over the war. At their first formal summit since the conflict, a deliberate show of public unity was undermined when the French President declared that America's blueprint for Iraq would not hand over power to the Iraqis quickly enough and called for the United Nations to play a greater role in the country's reconstruction. M. Chirac wants the occupation of Iraq by coalition forces to be ended as soon as possible and to see the handover of power supervised by a UN special representative. He believes this would allay fears among ordinary Iraqis that the Iraqi representatives working with the US and UK are too closely linked to the occupying powers. "They don't hold sway; they don't appear to be legitimate," said one French government source. "They need a more credible referee." Mr Blair is sympathetic to the new timetable set out by the US, under which a transitional Iraqi administration would be in place by June next year, with elections for a new government to follow by the end of 2005. But critics claim the administration will be hand-picked by Washington and will not halt the wave of attacks on coalition forces because it will not win the confidence of the Iraqi people. M. Chirac's intervention again pushed Mr Blair into the awkward position of trying to bridge the gap between the US and Britain's European Union partners. (MORE)
PENTAGON DENIES PLAN TO MOVE TROOPS OUT OF KOREA For several practical reasons, however, it is becoming
more likely that some of the U.S. forces in Korea are to
be sent to Iraq. The U.S. Army currently has 485,000 troops
in 10 Infantry divisions. Of the U.S. Army forces, nine
divisions have been or are scheduled to be sent to Iraq
or Afghanistan. The United States already sent four divisions
to Iraq, and is planning to replace three of them by February
or March next year. In Afghanistan, one division has been
deployed, but is also planned to be replaced with another
division by next February. (MORE)
US SENATORS SEEK SAUDI SANCTIONS WASHINGTON - After targeting both Syria and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, some pro-Israel United States senators have tabled a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia for its alleged ties to international terrorism. But some observers say the bill might not pass because of the special economic and strategic ties between Washington and the oil-rich Arab kingdom. The Saudi Arabia Accountability Act for 2003 was sponsored late last week by a group led by hawkish pro-Israel Republican Senator Arlen Specter, a senior member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Two other members of President George W Bush's Republican Party and four opposition Democrats also sponsored the bill. Following the introduction of the bill, another ardent pro-Israel congressman, Representative Anthony Weiner, a Democrat from New York State, announced he intends to introduce the House version of the act. At least 18 representatives responded to his call for co-sponsors. The legislation follows a "template" of sorts, that appears to have been developed by pro-Israel senators and representatives. It includes the Arafat Accountability Act, introduced earlier this year, which calls on Washington to seize the assets of the Palestinian Authority and its leader in the US, among other measures designed to penalize Arafat for his alleged abetting of terrorism against Israel. The act was shelved after the administration said that it could be counter-productive to its plans in the Middle East. It was followed by the Syria Accountability Act, which was passed two weeks ago. It imposes economic and diplomatic sanctions to punish Damascus, which Washington accuses of allowing Arab fighters access Iraq to fight US forces there. Washington also says Damascus supports Palestinian groups fighting Israel. The Saudi Accountability Act would require the president to certify annually that Riyadh, a long-time Washington ally, has met an extensive list of strict conditions related to fighting terror and cooperating with the US in related investigations. Washington would impose sanctions, including prohibiting the export of any defense articles to Saudi Arabia, barring export of materials that could be used for both military and civilian use, and restricting travel of Saudi diplomats to a 40 kilometer radius of the city in which their offices are located. The travel restrictions would apply to the Saudi embassy in Washington, DC, the Saudi United Nations mission in New York and consulates located in Houston and Los Angeles. (MORE)
MEDIA BATTLE RAGES ON AIR TO WIN OVER ARAB MINDS Three foreign powers are engaged in an airwaves war in the UAE and the Arab world. BBC Arabic of the UK, Radio Sawa of the US and Radio Monte Carlo, France's Arabic radio station, are slugging it out to win over hearts and minds in the region. BBC Arabic and Radio Monte Carlo have been on the airwaves longer, mostly in low-quality AM and shortwave frequencies. But Radio Sawa's entry two years ago with clear digital radio technology has led to an industry shake-up. "Radio listeners vote with their ears. The youngsters go for the clearest broadcast. Radio Sawa is winning this game because they're offering better quality FM. But as for the credibility of their newscasts, that's another story," said S. Abdullah, a UAE-based journalist. Radio Sawa ("Together") offers an eclectic mix of Arabic and English music and fast-paced, crisp and no-nonsense news bulletins. BBC Arabic is playing catch-up. It started broadcasting in FM recently over Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with the same content broadcast via Nilesat. BBC's Cairo Production Centre was launched along with its new look website bbcarabic.com with a landmark series, "Girls' Education in the Arab World" in Cairo on October 9. Cairo Production Centre (CPC) forms the nerve centre of the BBC Arabic service, with six hours of live daily news and current affairs programmes from the region. (SNIP) While BBC has established a reputation for fair reporting among Arab listeners, some critics slam Radio Sawa for being nothing but a mass-produced US propaganda machine. In its news bulletins anchors have no names and do not say where they are broadcasting from. "Sawa's music is good. But listening to its news bulletins is like listening to Israeli radio," said Amin M., 21, a student. He claimed its language is also suspect. For example, Sawa calls Yasser Arafat simply a "leader", instead of president of the Palestinian National Authority. "Sawa is trying to be hip and cool, but they're just biased. They won't be caught dead referring to suicide bombers as martyrs. They tag organisations like Hamas as a terror group, instead of recognising them as a legitimate resistance movement," said Abdullah. "They want to Americanise the Arab youth." Radio Monte Carlo, the Arabic broadcaster of French radio, offers news and a lot of discussions, pop music. It also sounds a little "younger" than the BBC. (MORE)
OPINION: YUKOS AND THE STATE OF U.S.-RUSSIAN RELATIONS It is obvious that recent events surrounding Yukos and the arrest of its former CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky will have major consequences not only for Russia's image around the world but also for its relations with the West. It is equally obvious that these consequences will be mostly negative. For the past few weeks President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government have been busy with damage control. The Kremlin has confirmed its commitment to a liberal economic policy and to economic reform. It has sought to calm investors and to explain its actions to foreign leaders. Russia will be judged not by its words, however, but by its deeds. Will Russia continue to progress toward the rule of law? How transparent and predictable will the actions of Russia's leaders be? Will the courts become more independent? Will a line be drawn under the results of privatization? As the state's influence on the economy grows, how aggressively will administrative reform be pursued? Will small- and medium-size businesses finally be freed from the yoke of corrupt bureaucracy? Will the ruling elite grasp that for Russia to thrive it must become fully integrated into the global community, and that this can happen only after internal transformations at home? Finally, will Putin's second term be marked by more rapid modernization or progressive stagnation? These and other questions remain to be answered. A number of influential leaders in the United States have already drawn their conclusions, however. Republican Senator John McCain summed up their position in a speech on Nov. 4. McCain described Russia as a country with a despotic regime that has trampled the fragile shoots of democracy and civil liberties at home, while pursuing a neo-imperial policy in relation to the former Soviet states. He ruled out the possibility of normal U.S.-Russian relations and proposed excluding Russia from the G-8 and other elite Western institutions. McCain called for a top-to-bottom review of Washington's Russia policy since 1991, and to all intents and purposes labeled Russia an enemy of the United States. Nor is McCain alone in this assessment. For the first time since the spring of 1999, when the Clinton administration's Russia policy came in for withering criticism, pessimism regarding the prospects for U.S.-Russian relations has begun to spread through U.S. foreign policy circles among Republicans and Democrats alike. The White House, which officially regards Russia as a strategic partner, thus finds itself under fire from all sides. If the pessimists win out, the United States could adopt a more hard-line stance in its relations with Russia. How justified would such a shift be? (MORE) | |||||
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