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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (42496)	4/13/2004 2:35:28 PM
From: lurqer	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

In Coalition Countries, Jitters About Staying in Iraq Jefferson Morley The U.S offensive against Iraqi insurgents and the recent trend of insurgents taking civilian hostages have online commentators in countries allied with the United States reconsidering their role in Iraq. As the BBC reported Monday: "There are increasing signs of unease among some of the US' military allies in Iraq as the upsurge of fighting draws them into combat." While few advocate withdrawing troops amidst mayhem, the expressions of support for the United States sound at most half-hearted. British Prime Minister Tony Blair turned opinion columnist over weekend to try to rally support. Writing for the Observer in London, Blair declared: "We are locked in a historic struggle in Iraq." The problem, he said, is those who doubt the cause of the U.S.-led coalition. "Faced with this struggle, on which our own fate hangs, a significant part of Western opinion is sitting back, if not half-hoping we fail, certainly replete with schadenfreude at the difficulty we find." The only beneficiaries of this skepticism, he argued, will be "dictators, fanatics and terrorists." "If we withdraw from Iraq, they will tell us to withdraw from Afghanistan and, after that, to withdraw from the Middle East completely and, after that, who knows? But one thing is for sure: they have faith in our weakness just as they have faith in their own religious fanaticism. And the weaker we are, the more they will come after us." But few international observers are persuaded. The editors of the Financial Times, a leading voice of the British establishment, replied Monday that the problem is heavy-handed U.S. military tactics that alienate Iraqis. "Over-stretched, US forces are over-reacting and retaliating with heavy armour in a way that turns the innocent as well as the guilty against them," they say. "That is no recipe for political success." In Japan, the uncertain fate of three civilians taken hostage in Iraq has become a national drama and a test of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's commitment to support the occupation. Koizumi has rejected the kidnappers' demand that Japan withdraw its forces from Iraq or else see the hostages burned alive. Opposition political leaders who had opposed the dispatch of troops for humanitarian duties in Iraq rallied to Koizumi's side over the weekend. But the editors of the Asahi Shimbun said "the situation in Iraq has deteriorated far beyond anything we ever predicted," and they blame U.S. military tactics. "Anti-American sentiment continues to spread because the Americans are trying to stamp out the resistance by force." The editors stopped short of calling for the withdrawal of Japanese troops -- but just barely. "The Japanese government needs to recognize that the current situation in Iraq is no longer one in which the [Japanese troops] can concentrate on their relief activities," they concluded. In South Korea, another country that had nationals abducted in Iraq recently (seven missionaries were released a day after they were taken by gunmen), the spread of fighting has called into question the government's plan to send a 3,000-soldier contingent to do reconstruction work in northern Iraq. "The plan is now in jeopardy because of strong protests from all walks of life," noted the editors of the Korea Times, a daily in Seoul. "The government has no choice" but to dispatch the troops, the paper said, citing the country's 50-year old alliance with the United States and the desire of Korean corporations to share in "lucrative Iraqi rehabilitation projects." The editors of Chosun Ilbo, another daily in Seoul, said South Korea must be prepared to reverse its decision. "As the last nation in the world to send troops to Iraq, the government must constantly keep its eye on the rapidly changing situation in Iraq and make response policies ahead of time." In Madrid, the center-left daily El Pais (in Spanish, subscription required) said "Spain must urgently rethink its military presence in Iraq. . . . The Spanish forces did not go there to fight battles or to be besieged by a population that rejects them but to help reconstruction. Either Washington changes its approach or they will have to come home." A commentary in Poland's best-selling newspaper, Fakt (in Polish), blamed the United States for mishandling Iraq and disapproved of sending more Poles there, according to the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, an office of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. "There is no evidence that the Iraq coalition is about to collapse," concluded the BBC. "Some erosion around the edges is more likely. But nothing is certain in a rapidly changing situation on the ground in Iraq. If things get worse, the Bush administration will not be able to count on all its allies staying the course." washingtonpost.com lurqer

To: lurqer who wrote (42496)	4/13/2004 6:50:29 PM
From: Raymond Duray	Respond to of 89467

lurqer, Re: "Down your alley?" New Reports on U.S. Planting WMDs in Iraq I think the headline might be: COMING TO AN ALLEY NEAR YOU! SOON! * This item isn't being picked up by the U.S. corporate media for some reason. Golly, I wonder what that could be? <gg> * Just watching a couple minutes of CNN's Lou Dobbs's show a moment ago. The talking heads are handicapping (kneecapping?) Bush's 'press conference' tonight. They are noting that on his last two public outings, Bush got terrible marks. Particularly for his drab and dull sound-bite driven drivel on the Tim Russert Comedy Hour.