August 27, 2004

World Media Watch

by Gloria R. Lalumia

BUZZFLASH NOTE: WMW provides BuzzFlash readers foreign views and perspectives that are not usually available from the media here in the U.S. The presentation of these articles from these international publications is not an endorsement of their viewpoints.

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WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR AUGUST 27, 2004

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--KERRY VICTORY WOULD MARK RETURN TO SERIOUS DIPLOMACY (If US presidential hopeful John Kerry makes it to the White House, the "rhetorical flourishes" and "loud declarations" that has defined the Bush administration will be long gone, says veteran Mideast analyst Augustus Richard Norton. Norton, a professor of anthropology at Boston University, said Kerry's presidency would mark a return to "serious diplomacy" and a re-engagement on the Palestinian and Syrian tracks of the moribund peace process...Norton, who has been consulted on Mideast policy by the Kerry campaign, said the Democratic nominee's chances "look pretty good." "The atmosphere is going to change pretty dramatically," he said. "Let's be blunt. Bush is extremely unpopular in Europe and the Middle East, and increasingly at home say as well.)

2//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy--LEARNING NEW LESSONS, AND SOME OLD ONES (As almost six million Iraqi children prepare to start their second year at school away from the shadow of Saddam Hussein's regime, officials see major challenges ahead... But the biggest task lies beyond repairing buildings and reprinting books. "Nowadays the biggest challenge before the ministry is how to change the curriculum," says Ibrahim. "A national committee was formed last year (but) I think it will take many years. The education philosophy now has to be changed." What some people in Iraq mean by "changing the philosophy" is cleansing the textbooks of any reference to Saddam and the Baath Party which Saddam used for more than three decades to stay in power. This is a touchy subject. Some Iraqi parties that campaigned for decades to topple Saddam argue that Baath ideology must be eradicated from the memory of the country. Others say this history must be recorded for future generations.)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--ALL CHANGE FOR PAKISTAN'S NEW PREMIER (Just weeks after surviving a suicide attack, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz is due to be elected on Friday as Pakistan's 20th prime minister. His elevation promises to bring in a new era of rule by technocrats, at the expense of career politicians, whose demise will not go without a fight...While Aziz's appointment makes sense for the development of Pakistan, in tune with US views, the biggest losers in the new setup - the politicians - are not likely to sit idly by. The forces of fundamentalism still exist - they just need tapping for a new "cause". The suicide attack on Aziz could be the first warning.)

4//The Pakistan Daily Times, Pakistan--TALIBAN THREATEN RUMSFELD, PROMISE 'FLOOD OF JIHAD' (The Taliban threatened on Thursday to kill US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and promised "a flood of jihad" against the Americans, in a statement posted on their website. (http://www.uploadyourimage.com/1/bannerFaroq.gif) "We tell Rumsfeld: you may have escaped unharmed from our swords once, but you will not escape again," said "the information office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in the statement accompanied by footage of Taliban "victories" in Afghanistan. The statement also promised "a flood of jihad against the Americans and their allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan".

5//The Economist, UK--ELEVATE YOUR HANDS OR I IGNITE (Among the many fields in which Americans excel are technological wizardry and not speaking foreign languages. So it was only a matter of time before someone invented a robot that can translate spoken English into other tongues. Enter the "Phraselator", a palm-held electronic polyglot built by a firm in Maryland called VoxTec. Its most immediate application is military. Flesh-and-blood linguists prefer to work in places where their flesh and blood are safe. Robots don't care.)

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1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Friday, August 27, 2004
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=7804

KERRY VICTORY WOULD MARK RETURN TO SERIOUS DIPLOMACY
Mideast analyst predicts dramatic changes

By Nicholas Blanford
Special to The Daily Star

INTERVIEW

BEIRUT: If US presidential hopeful John Kerry makes it to the White House, the "rhetorical flourishes" and "loud declarations" that has defined the Bush administration will be long gone, says veteran Mideast analyst Augustus Richard Norton.

Norton, a professor of anthropology at Boston University, said Kerry's presidency would mark a return to "serious diplomacy" and a re-engagement on the Palestinian and Syrian tracks of the moribund peace process.

But if US President George W. Bush wins a second term, Norton predicted there would be little change in his Mideast policy, raising the specter of a possible pre-emptive attack against Iran's fledgling nuclear ambitions.

Norton, who has been consulted on Mideast policy by the Kerry campaign, said the Democratic nominee's chances "look pretty good."

"The atmosphere is going to change pretty dramatically," he said. "Let's be blunt. Bush is extremely unpopular in Europe and the Middle East, and increasingly at home say as well.

"Kerry is much more likely to change the process of consultation, much more likely to listen instead of acting thoughtlessly, much more likely to try and cooperate fully with international groupings, such as the EU and the UN."

He said a Kerry administration would probably regard the unofficial Geneva Accord drawn up last year by former Israeli and Palestinian government officials and peace negotiators as a "template" for resuming the Mideast peace process.

"I think it very likely we will specifically see Kerry embrace that kind of model," he said. The accord would give Palestinians a homeland in the Gaza Strip and most of the West Bank and divide Jerusalem while denying the return of the vast majority of Palestinian refugees to their former homes.

On the Israeli-Syria front, Norton said he expects Kerry to try and initiate negotiations.

(MORE)

2//Inter Press Service News Agency, Italy August 26, 2004
http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=25231

LEARNING NEW LESSONS, AND SOME OLD ONES
Peyman Pejman

BAGHDAD, Aug 26 (IPS) - As almost six million Iraqi children prepare to start their second year at school away from the shadow of Saddam Hussein's regime, officials see major challenges ahead.

At this time last year Iraq was still fresh from the war that toppled Saddam. U.S.-led occupation forces had been on the ground less than six months. Many schools had been damaged by the war or in the looting that followed.

Families fearing for the safety of their children were not sure if they should be sent to school at all. Those who went did not always have books because the caretaker U.S. government had not managed to print enough books free of Saddam's picture.

Children were often asked to use old books after ripping out the picture of Saddam Hussein. A few books re-printed with UN help deleted references to Saddam.

This year officials are promising all students new books, which would mean about 180 million in all.

"We are printing new books for everyone," Saad Ibrahim who is in charge of the printing project told IPS. "We have received a grant from the World Bank and other donor countries for 40 million dollars, and signed many contracts with printing houses in Iraq and countries such as Jordan and United Arab Emirates."

Ministry officials have to deal also with school buildings. Eighty percent of about 18,000 school buildings in Iraq need some kind of repair, says Hassanein Mualla, deputy education minister.

About 40 percent need "partial" repair and 30 percent "comprehensive" repair. More than 1,000 need to be rebuilt.

(SNIP)

But the biggest task lies beyond repairing buildings and reprinting books. "Nowadays the biggest challenge before the ministry is how to change the curriculum," says Ibrahim. "A national committee was formed last year (but) I think it will take many years. The education philosophy now has to be changed."

What some people in Iraq mean by "changing the philosophy" is cleansing the textbooks of any reference to Saddam and the Baath Party which Saddam used for more than three decades to stay in power.

This is a touchy subject. Some Iraqi parties that campaigned for decades to topple Saddam argue that Baath ideology must be eradicated from the memory of the country. Others say this history must be recorded for future generations.

(MORE)

3//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong August 27, 2004
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/FH27Df03.html

ALL CHANGE FOR PAKISTAN'S NEW PREMIER
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
Syed Saleem Shahzad is bureau chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online.

KARACHI - Just weeks after surviving a suicide attack, Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz is due to be elected on Friday as Pakistan's 20th prime minister. His elevation promises to bring in a new era of rule by technocrats, at the expense of career politicians, whose demise will not go without a fight.

(SNIP)

Under the new system, a policy framework will be developed in the capital Islamabad by technocrat ministers, and gradually the role of politicians in the lower house of parliament will be eroded as the country moves toward a presidential system of government similar to that in France.

This development will also favor Musharraf, whose long-term plans favor an all-powerful presidency with a weak - although efficent - premier.

(SNIP)

The US role
The United States has long been concerned about these forces of fundamentalism in Pakistan, especially after Islamabad tested a nuclear bomb in 1998, to become the only nuclear power in the Muslim world, and especially at a time when the economy was a mess and unemployment and illiteracy remained high. In the intervening years not much has changed; radicalism has flourished, as has poverty. The breeding ground of discontent remains fertile.

Clearly, Pakistan needs a firm hand to guide the country along the path of progress if it is not to continue as a haven for fundamentalists of all hues. Washington would have made its views abundantly clear to Musharraf, a key ally in the "war on terror".

Now, Aziz is viewed as the man to do the job.

Aziz's importance first come to light in June 2003, when Musharraf was about to visit the US for an announcement by President George W Bush of a US$3 billion aid package for Pakistan, widely seen as a reward for Islamabad assisting in the "war on terror", especially with regard to the Taliban in Afghanistan.

But before Musharraf's visit, the US asked Pakistan to provide guarantees that it had frozen its nuclear program. Consequently, for the first time in the history of Pakistan, a finance minister, Aziz, visited the classified areas of Pakistan's nuclear facilities, along with technical staff. Previously, not even the elected prime ministers had been given such an honor. Aziz came up with the requisite guarantees, and the visit and the pledge for aid went ahead as scheduled.

Soon after Musharraf nominated Aziz as the next prime minister in June, the US House of Representatives approved the $3 billion aid package pledged last year. The five-year package is payable in annual installments, with the first of $701 million payable for the next financial year. It is now awaiting Senate approval.

The next four installments will be of about $600 million each, evenly divided between military and economic assistance. The economic side of the package deals with reforms in the education sector. These will concentrate on transforming the syllabuses of schools, as well as madrassas (seminaries), where Islamic fundamentalism often first takes root in young minds. The health and communication sectors will also receive assistance.

On the military side, the package deals with America's and Pakistan's joint need to upgrade the latter's capability to fight against terrorism, through updated communications, military hardware and other equipment needed to combat terror.

While Aziz's appointment makes sense for the development of Pakistan, in tune with US views, the biggest losers in the new setup - the politicians - are not likely to sit idly by. The forces of fundamentalism still exist - they just need tapping for a new "cause". The suicide attack on Aziz could be the first warning.

4//The Pakistan Daily Times, Pakistan Friday, August 27, 2004
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-8-2004_pg7_41

TALIBAN THREATEN RUMSFELD, PROMISE 'FLOOD OF JIHAD'

DUBAI: The Taliban threatened on Thursday to kill US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and promised "a flood of jihad" against the Americans, in a statement posted on their website.

"We tell Rumsfeld: you may have escaped unharmed from our swords once, but you will not escape again," said "the information office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" in the statement accompanied by footage of Taliban "victories" in Afghanistan.

The statement also promised "a flood of jihad against the Americans and their allies in Pakistan and Afghanistan".

Two rockets landed north of Kabul and in a neighbouring village just hours after a brief visit by Rumsfeld on August 11 during which he met Afghan President Hamid Karzai. No one was injured in the attack and one of the rockets failed to explode.

The statement posted on the website (http://www.uploadyourimage.com/1/bannerFaroq.gif), was accompanied by three video films purporting to show "the Pakistani forces' losses" from Taliban attacks.

"We give the Islamic nation glad tidings: jihad in Afghanistan is constantly escalating ... America claims that the mujahedeen are divided ... (But) thanks be to God, the mujahedeen are standing fast and fighting under the banner of Mulla Mohammad Omar," the statement said.

(MORE)

5//The Economist, UK Aug 26th 2004
http://www.economist.com/world/africa/displayStory.cfm?story_id=3139077

ELEVATE YOUR HANDS OR I IGNITE
A high-tech weapon for the war to win Iraqi hearts and minds

Among the many fields in which Americans excel are technological wizardry and not speaking foreign languages. So it was only a matter of time before someone invented a robot that can translate spoken English into other tongues. Enter the "Phraselator", a palm-held electronic polyglot built by a firm in Maryland called VoxTec. Its most immediate application is military. Flesh-and-blood linguists prefer to work in places where their flesh and blood are safe. Robots don't care.

Humans may be better interpreters than machines, but they "often have their own political agenda", which can jeopardise accuracy, says the Phraselator's designer, Ace Sarich. Plus, at $2,300 a pop, the device works out cheaper than an interpreter's wages, especially if you expect to be stuck somewhere foreign for a long, long while. So it's popular with coalition troops in Iraq.

The seed money for the Phraselator was supplied by the American government. After September 11th 2001, the Department of Defence decided it was going to need a machine that could speak Arabic, among other languages.

Shawn Collins, a sergeant with America's special forces in Iraq, calls the device "a godsend". After a recent battle, he found he was able to make a group of Iraqi children laugh with his Phraselator's Star-Trekky vernacular. He then asked if they knew of any hidden weapons nearby, and they led him to a cache of rocket-propelled grenades.

(SNIP)

The Phraselator's main drawback is that it cannot translate replies. Questions have to be answerable with a nod of the head, or by pointing to the window where the sniper is lurking. It lacks a certain human touch, too. "Pointing a machinegun at enemy soldiers and yelling loudly in English and motioning them to get down tends to work wonders compared to pulling out the Phraselator and having it say: 'Drop your weapon'," says Sgt Collins.