 |
|||||
| February 18, 2004 |
|||||
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 FEBRUARY 18, 2004 1//Inter Press Service, Italy--ANALYSIS: ZARQAWI LETTER DELIVERS MIXED MESSAGE TO WAR HAWKS (A letter purportedly written to senior al-Qaeda leaders by a key associate, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, appears to undermine a major thesis of hardcore neo-conservatives who led the United States drive to war in Iraq.) 2//The Jordan Times, Jordan--KUWAIT APPROVES PROBE OF FUEL SALE TO US ARMY (Kuwait's parliament unanimously agreed Monday to form a committee to probe allegations of wrong-doing in a multimillion-dollar deal to supply fuel to the US military in Iraq...Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmed Fahd Al Sabah reiterated his denial that Kuwait was involved in the suspect contract irregularities and told the house that "public funds were not misused in this deal." The deal, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is between the state-owned KPC and private firm Al Tanmia Commercial Marketing Co to supply 1,500 tonnes of fuel daily to the US Army in Iraq through US oil services giant Halliburton.) 3//The Moscow Times, Russia--EDITORIAL: BACK TO THE U.S.S.R. WITH PUTIN (In watching President Vladimir Putin in action over the past several days, the same thought has come up again and again, that we have moved backwards in time. First we had his speech last Thursday to a packed auditorium of loyal supporters, in which he spoke with pride of the achievements of the last few years and with optimism for the future. It was less like a campaign speech than an address to a Communist Party congress...The comparisons to Soviet times are becoming too numerous to ignore.) 4//The Independent, UK--JAPAN THROWS OFF PACIFIST CLOUD AND ONCE AGAIN HOISTS NATIONALISTIC FLAG OF MILITARISM (. Since 1999, the playing of the anthem and the flying of the Hinomaru (Rising Sun) flag, have been compulsory at Japanese school ceremonies, but some teachers refuse to toe the line. Invariably, controversy erupts every year in March when the flag flutters at graduation ceremonies nationwide. Kazuhisa Suzuki, who teaches civics at a high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, said: "It's as though Germany brought back the Nazi swastika and forced teachers to stand for it. If teachers don't fight it, who will?"...The fight is one indicator of subtle but momentous political changes playing out in Japan, which could have enormous implications for the rest of the world. Many observers say that, after half a century of living in a pacifist bubble and shunning the politics of nationalism, Japan under Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister, is drifting steadily to the right.) 5//The Straits Times, Singapore--CHINA WARNS HK: DON'T STRAY TOO FAR (China has taken the velvet glove off its iron fist and threatened to dissolve Hong Kong's legislature if pro-Beijing candidates lose control of the body in the coming September election. This is the sternest warning issued by Beijing in its bid to stem the rising democratic tide set off by the massive public protest last July 1...Such a move would trigger a major constitutional crisis. That Beijing is prepared to go so far shows just how worried it is about losing the September election for a new Legislative Council [Legco].) * * * 1//Inter
Press Service February 16, 2004 ANALYSIS: ZARQAWI LETTER DELIVERS MIXED MESSAGE TO WAR HAWKS By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON - A letter purportedly written to senior al-Qaeda leaders by a key associate, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, appears to undermine a major thesis of hardcore neo-conservatives who led the United States drive to war in Iraq. The letter, which is essentially an appeal for help in launching a "sectarian war" against Iraq's Shi'ite Muslim population, was circulated by the Pentagon after it was allegedly found on a compact disc in a raid on a safe house in Baghdad on January 23 that netted a prominent courier of the al-Qaeda terrorist group. It was leaked to the New York Times, which reported on it February 10. (SNIP) At the same time, however, the letter, excerpts of which were published by the Project for the New American Century and the Weekly Standard, tends to debunk several of the neo-conservatives' own myths. First, it contains no suggestion at all of any pre-existing cooperation or relationship between ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and either Zarqawi or al-Qaeda, as the neo-conservatives have long contended. It expresses great disappointment at the absence of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a disappointment that undermines the administration's insistence that it is that group that is behind a growing number of attacks in Iraq. Indeed, the tone suggests, according to Iraq expert Juan Cole of the University of Michigan, that the writer, if it is Zarqawi, has not been in close contact with al-Qaeda for quite some time. More important, the letter's thrust - the necessity for carrying out attacks against Shi'ite Muslims in Iraq - serves also to undermine a major neo-conservative thesis: that Islamist extremists work together to accomplish their goals regardless of their own sectarian affiliation. (SNIP) "The document undermines all the conspiracy theories about Iranian support for al-Qaeda or an al-Qaeda-Hezbollah link," says Cole. "The Iranians would as soon shoot those people [Zarqawi and al-Qaeda] as look at them." In that respect, the letter and its widespread distribution, particularly by neo-conservative groups and publications, mark a potentially serious setback to those in and out of the administration who have adopted Ledeen's view. (MORE)
KUWAIT APPROVES PROBE OF FUEL SALE TO US ARMY KUWAIT CITY (AFP) - Kuwait's parliament unanimously agreed Monday to form a committee to probe allegations of wrong-doing in a multimillion-dollar deal to supply fuel to the US military in Iraq. (SNIP) "We welcome the national assembly launching an investigation into accusations of wrong-doing in Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), to enable the Kuwaiti people to know the real facts," Sheikh Sabah told parliament after the vote. Energy Minister Sheikh Ahmed Fahd Al Sabah reiterated his denial that Kuwait was involved in the suspect contract irregularities and told the house that "public funds were not misused in this deal." The deal, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is between the state-owned KPC and private firm Al Tanmia Commercial Marketing Co to supply 1,500 tonnes of fuel daily to the US Army in Iraq through US oil services giant Halliburton. "I affirm here that all procedures were carried out in a correct way. The US Army requested to buy the fuel through Al Tanmia and (Halliburton's subsidiary) KBR (Kellogg Brown and Root) as representatives," Sheikh Ahmed said. "The contract was awarded in accordance with legal procedures keeping in mind the safeguarding of public funds," he told the house. In its full-fledged investigation, the panel is authorised to enlist the help of the State Audit Bureau, government and parliamentary experts and any other party it chooses. (SNIP) But convinced that the minister's action was insufficient, 23 lawmakers, driven mainly by opposition MPs, requested to clear Kuwait's name of the "robbery charges" and determine where the blame truly lies. In their formal request to form the committee, MPs provided extensive excerpts from US media and official reports about the case, which fingers Kuwait and its ruling family for overcharging US taxpayers. A draft US audit disclosed in December that the US government had been overcharged by some $61 million for oil purchased through Halliburton's subcontractor in Kuwait. (MORE)
EDITORIAL: BACK TO THE U.S.S.R. WITH PUTIN In watching President Vladimir Putin in action over the past several days, the same thought has come up again and again, that we have moved backwards in time. First we had his speech last Thursday to a packed auditorium of loyal supporters, in which he spoke with pride of the achievements of the last few years and with optimism for the future. It was less like a campaign speech than an address to a Communist Party congress. "Stylistically, it's back to the U.S.S.R.," said political analyst Andrei Piontkovsky. Now we have Putin attending a major nuclear war game that was heralded as the largest show of force since Soviet times. "The war game is very Soviet in style and content, acting out a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies," wrote defense analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. (SNIP) What the two main state television channels did not report, at least not in their early evening broadcasts, was that what was supposed to be the highlight of the show -- the launch of two ballistic missiles from another submarine -- did not happen. For all those people who get their news only from state television, the exercises appeared to have been a shining success and Putin a strong leader fulfilling a promise to restore Russia's military might. This is possible only because of the Kremlin's control over state television, which, as The New York Times said in a biting report, is resulting in "abundant and invariably flattering portrayals of President Vladimir Putin that more and more are drawing unfavorable comparisons to Soviet broadcasts." The comparisons to Soviet times are becoming too numerous to ignore. (MORE)
JAPAN THROWS OFF PACIFIST CLOUD AND ONCE AGAIN HOISTS NATIONALISTIC FLAG OF MILITARISM By David McNeill in Tokyo Eishun Nagai is part of a dying breed; a man who would rather have his life ruined than stand to attention for a flag and anthem he despises. The Tokyo high school teacher, 56, said: "Not so long ago, everyone I knew thought the same as me, but times have changed a lot. Our numbers are dwindling, but we have to keep fighting. Educational freedom in Japan depends on it." In many other countries national anthems are a source of pride, but in Japan the anthem is the Kimigayo (His Majesty's Reign), the same dirge that rang in the ears of millions of Imperial troops who went off to kill in the name of the emperor in Asia during the Second World War. Since 1999, the playing of the anthem and the flying of the Hinomaru (Rising Sun) flag, have been compulsory at Japanese school ceremonies, but some teachers refuse to toe the line. Invariably, controversy erupts every year in March when the flag flutters at graduation ceremonies nationwide. Kazuhisa Suzuki, who teaches civics at a high school in Kanagawa Prefecture, said: "It's as though Germany brought back the Nazi swastika and forced teachers to stand for it. If teachers don't fight it, who will?" For the past five years, Mr Suzuki has demonstrated at graduation ceremonies against the anthem and flag by wearing a white rose and raising his clenched fist in the air; a protest that has almost cost him his job. Mr Suzuki is not alone. Hundreds of teachers have been officially cautioned or disciplined for similar offences, and pressure to follow the directive is widely blamed for the suicide of Toshihiro Ishikawa, a Hiroshima high-school headteacher, who found himself sandwiched between the demands of the local education board and his overwhelmingly anti-anthem staff. The fight is one indicator of subtle but momentous political changes playing out in Japan, which could have enormous implications for the rest of the world. Many observers say that, after half a century of living in a pacifist bubble and shunning the politics of nationalism, Japan under Junichiro Koizumi, the Prime Minister, is drifting steadily to the right. Mr Koizumi has led the charge with a sustained effort to rehabilitate another taboo symbol of Japan's militarist past, Yasukuni shrine, which honours millions of Japanese war dead, including convicted Second World War criminals. Despite angry protests from China and South Korea - Imperial Japan's wartime victims - Koizumi has made four visits while in office to the shrine, and he said he intends to keep going. Tetsuro Kato, a political scientist at Hitotsubashi University, said: "There's no question that there has been a resurgence in nationalism over the past couple of years. It has been going on for years, but really accelerated when North Korea admitted to kidnapping Japanese citizens. You can see it in the attempt to introduce more patriotism into the schools, but also in the increasingly tough talk against North Korea and the dispatch of Japanese Self-Defence Forces [SDF] to Iraq. It's led by a large section of the [main ruling] Liberal Democrat party under Junichiro Koizumi. They will now try to change the constitution." Critics of the SDF dispatch, which has put Japanese troops in a combat zone for the first time since the Second World War, said the move is illegal under Article 9 of the constitution, which prohibits offensive capability. The clause, written during the post-war US occupation, has long been a target of the nationalist right and steadfastly defended by the left. But the ranks of the social democrats and communists were reduced in November's general election and the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan supports constitutional revision, making it probably only a matter of time before Article 9 disappears. Should that happen, Japan is not short of military hardware or troops. Official pacifism has not stopped the country from building up one of the world's most formidable war machines, mainly thanks to its key ally, the US. The obvious potential target is North Korea, its troublesome neighbour, but many believe Japan's real worry is the seemingly unstoppable rise of China. A number of nationalists, including Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo's controversial governor, have said they think China should be "broken up" to prevent it becoming a threat to the region. All of this is deeply disturbing to Japan's dwindling band of leftists and pacifists, many of whom can be found teaching in public schools. The key role of wartime educators in forging a nation of Emperor-worshipping militarists has led many teachers to hold the line against the state's more regressive moves. For this reason, Mr Nagai is leading a last-ditch effort to force the authorities to respect what he calls "the right to freedom of thought" by taking the Tokyo education board to court. His group of 228 teachers, most in their forties and fifties who work at public schools, filed a lawsuit last month demanding that the metropolitan government pay them each the nominal sum of 30,000 yen (£150) for the "psychological suffering" caused by the directive. (MORE)
CHINA WARNS HK: DON'T STRAY TOO FAR By Ching Cheong HONG KONG - China has taken the velvet glove off its iron fist and threatened to dissolve Hong Kong's legislature if pro-Beijing candidates lose control of the body in the coming September election. This is the sternest warning issued by Beijing in its bid to stem the rising democratic tide set off by the massive public protest last July 1. It was delivered on Sunday by a senior Chinese official
at a closed-door briefing for a selected group of pro-Beijing
journalists in the Special Administrative Region. Asked what the 'sword' was, he replied: 'Please note that the Basic Law (Hong Kong's mini-Constitution) has provided for the dissolution of the legislature.' Such a move would trigger a major constitutional crisis. That Beijing is prepared to go so far shows just how worried it is about losing the September election for a new Legislative Council (Legco). Half of the 60 seats in the council will be up for direct election, with the other half to come from an indirect one through the so-called functional constituencies. If the district council election in November is any guide, the democrats could well capture control of Legco, after which they can, in theory, pass laws to speed up democratisation. (MORE) | |||||
|
©2003, Gloria R. Lalumia, insight@zianet.com Radio for the Left at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical/radio.htm BACK TO TOP |
|||||
 |
||||
| DAILY BUZZ | ||||
| INTERVIEWS | ||||
| ANALYSIS | ||||
| MEDIA LINKS | ||||
|
Unless
otherwise noted, all original |
 |
|||
