Khatya Chhor

June 17, 2004

Western Press Review: A New Look At The Evidence Of The 9/11 Attacks; Conflict And The Media

Prague, 17 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Interim reports released yesterday by the U.S. commission investigating the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 say there is little or no evidence that Iraq's Saddam Hussein was involved with Al-Qaeda in the planning of the strikes. Several news dailies today discuss the reports' findings in light of the U.S. administration's claims to the contrary as it presented its case for going to war in Iraq. We also take a look today at media coverage in times of conflict; Chechnya's likely new Moscow-approved leader; and the trial of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovskii.

June 16, 2004

Western Press Review: Khodorkovskii Trial, Militant Violence In Karachi, And U.S. Policy In The Arab World

Prague, 16 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A look at coverage today in some of the world's major dailies reveals much commentary on the trial of former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovskii and his Bank Menatep associate, Platon Lebedev. The trial of the two men on fraud and tax-evasion charges begins today in Moscow. Also at issue in the press today is the recent upsurge in militant violence in Karachi; and questioning U.S. foreign policy and democracy in the Arab world and beyond.

June 15, 2004

Western Press Review: A Renewed Russian-Tajik Alliance, And Karzai Goes To Washington

Prague, 15 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics under discussion in some of the major dailies today are Moscow's strengthened strategic alliance with Dushanbe; renewing the U.S. commitment in Afghanistan; foundering liberal reform in the former Soviet bloc; and European Union parliamentary elections, in which voters sent a strong message to incumbent parties across the continent.

June 14, 2004

Western Press Review: EU Elections In Focus As Turnout Disappoints

Prague, 14 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- An expanded Europe of 25 member nations headed to the polls for the first time last week (10-13 June) in Europe-wide elections for the European Parliament. But the low voter turnout, particularly among Europe's 10 new members, has some observers wondering whether the EU's legislative body is undergoing a crisis of credibility. Other issues addressed today include upcoming elections in Afghanistan and Belarus's longstanding ties with so-called rogue states.

June 11, 2004

Western Press Review: G-8 Agreement On Mideast Reform, And Afghanistan's 'Forgotten War'

Prague, 11 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Commentary and news analysis in the press today looks at the Group of Eight (G-8) agreement on promoting reform in the Middle East; Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi; the "forgotten war" in Afghanistan; transforming the trans-Atlantic alliance; and the debate over sending NATO troops to Iraq.

June 10, 2004

Western Press Review: UN Resolution On Iraq; Diplomatic Divisions Between The U.S. And The Rest Of The World; And Abu Ghurayb

Prague, 10 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics being debated in the press today is the new UN resolution on Iraq, which more clearly outlines plans for Iraqi sovereignty after 30 June; the need to recruit troops from Muslim countries to help stabilize Iraq; the great diplomatic divide that remains between the United States and the rest of the world; and the Abu Ghurayb prison scandal, as questions persist over how far up the chain of command responsibility goes for the abuse of detainees.

June 09, 2004

Western Press Review: New UN Resolution On Iraq And The Flawed 'Greater Middle East Initiative'

Prague, 9 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Much of the discussion in the Western press today focuses on the latest UN resolution on Iraq, unanimously passed yesterday by the Security Council after much wrangling over the details of the text. The media also takes a look at elections and security in Afghanistan, the fatal flaws in the U.S.-backed "Greater Middle East Initiative," and the crisis of succession within the Chechen leadership.

June 08, 2004

Western Press Review: Is The G-8 A Working Forum Or A Bureaucratic Chimera?

Prague, 8 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Press commentary today focuses in large part on the Group of Eight (G-8) summit of industrialized countries beginning today in the U.S. state of Georgia. While some observers hold out the hope that the meeting will herald new initiatives on issues of common interest, others dismiss the gathering as pure bureaucratic pageantry. Other pundits today discuss the limitations of EU governing bodies in forging a continent-wide identity and Israel's controversial plan to disengage from Gaza in exchange for leaving some settlements in the West Bank.

June 07, 2004

Western Press Review: Newspapers Remember Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan

Prague, 7 June 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Media commentary today is dominated by remembrance of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who died on 5 June at the age of 93 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. The divide in public opinion over the Reagan presidency continues to loom large, as some credit him with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, while others fault him for failed foreign policies like the decision to illegally fund armed Nicaraguan insurgents in the Iran-Contra scandal.

May 28, 2004

Western Press Review: Putin's Speech, NATO's Black Sea Interests, Prosecuting Wartime Abuses, The Arab Summit

Prague, 28 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics being discussed in the media today are Russian President Vladimir Putin's first formal address this week since winning a second term; refocusing NATO attention on the Black Sea-South Caucasus region; determining command responsibility for crimes committed in wartime; events in Iraq, as preparations continue for the 30 June handover of power; and this week's summit meeting of Arab leaders in Tunis, among other issues.

May 27, 2004

Western Press Review: Putin's National Address, NATO In Afghanistan, The Draft UN Resolution On Iraq

Prague, 27 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics vying for media attention today are the resignation of Harri Holkeri, the head of the UN Mission in Kosovo; Russian President Vladimir Putin's first post-reelection address to a joint session of parliament; NATO's faltering mission in Afghanistan; and the "fatal flaw" of the U.S.- and British-sponsored draft revolution on Iraq presented at the UN this week (24 May).

May 26, 2004

Western Press Review: Bush's Speech, Chalabi's Mysterious Fall From U.S. Good Graces, And The Single Economic Space

Prague, 26 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Much of the commentary in leading dailies today discusses U.S. President George W. Bush's 24 May speech, in which he set out a five-point plan for establishing security and fostering the creation of a representative government in Iraq. While some laud the U.S. president for publicly addressing some of the unresolved issues in his Iraq policy, others contend that Bush failed to suggest any new strategies or clearly lay out how he planned to achieve his stated goal of a democratic Iraq. The fall from grace of erstwhile U.S. ally Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, a former emigre opposition group, is also the subject of much press interest, as many observers question why Washington has seen fit to condone an investigation into Chalabi's affairs at this time. We also take a look at the progress of the Single Economic Space agreed between Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Belarus.

May 25, 2004

Western Press Review: Bush's Iraq Speech, Keeping The Faith In Afghanistan, And The Fractious Tajik Opposition

Prague, 25 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Much of the media's attention today is focused on U.S. President George W. Bush's speech last night on his administration's plans for stabilizing Iraq. Several commentators fault the U.S. president for failing to lay out a viable strategy for ensuring a smooth transition to a legitimate interim government in Baghdad by 30 June. A discussion of the conflict in Afghanistan calls it the war the world forgot, while others call for U.S.-Iranian cooperation in Iraq and lament the lack of cohesion among the Tajik opposition.

May 24, 2004

Western Press Review: Growing Skepticism Over U.S. Policy In Iraq, Bosnia's Quest For Elusive Postwar Unity

Prague, 24 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Several items in the press today sound notes of alarm over the U.S. administration's policies in Iraq. As U.S. forces battle troops loyal to radical Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in several southern Iraqi cities, many Western observers continue to question whether the White House has a viable plan for bringing security to Iraq, or whether its approach is merely reactionary and focused largely on damage control. Press discussion today also addresses the difficulties of establishing unity in Bosnia while so many issues from the country's war-torn past remain unsettled.

May 20, 2004

Western Press Review: Partitioning Iraq, The Rise Of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, NATO In Afghanistan

Prague, 20 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Several items in the media today discuss the potential partition of Iraq along political, religious, or ethnic lines, as one former UN official warns against creating a situation similar to the breakup of Yugoslavia. The rise of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as an independent political force is also addressed, as is the NATO mission in Afghanistan, which continues to suffer from a lack of political will and materiel.

May 19, 2004

Western Press Review: The West's Neo-Imperialism, U.S. Adventures In Optimism, And Pankisi's Chechens

Prague, 19 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The media today looks at the limitations of Western neo-imperialism, revolution and social change in Iran, and how American optimism often spawns unexpected outcomes. Discussion in the press also focuses on devolving more power to Iraqi governing bodies, the effects of Georgian-Russian rapprochement on Chechen refugees in the Pankisi Gorge, and U.S.-EU relations in a rapidly changing world.

May 18, 2004

Western Press Review: IGC Member Uthman's Assassination, Georgian Unification, And The War In Chechnya

Prague, 18 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The assassination yesterday of Abd al-Zahra Uthman Muhammad (a.k.a. Izz al-Din Salim), the head of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, dominates much of the commentary in the press today. As the scheduled 30 June date approaches for the return of sovereignty to Iraqi hands, several analysts are looking at the possibility that the nation will naturally fracture along religious and ethnic lines, despite Washington's calls for a unified and democratic government to take over. Also at issue today are Georgia's options for reuniting its restive provinces under Tbilisi's central control, and the difficulty of making the news in Chechnya.

May 17, 2004

Western Press Review: Abu Ghurayb Prison, An Iraq Exit Strategy, And Rethinking Balkan Security

Prague, 17 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A review of press commentary and analysis today finds continuing debate on the abuses committed by U.S. forces at Abu Ghurayb prison in Iraq. As the first of the accused soldiers prepares to testify this week, speculation centers on whether the abuse was carried out in disregard of, or in accordance with, the official Pentagon policy on interrogations. Discussion in the press today also addresses the possibilities for a Western exit strategy in Iraq and rethinking the security framework in the Balkans.

May 07, 2004

Western Press Review: Increasing Calls For Rumsfeld To Resign Over Prison-Abuse Scandal

Prague, 7 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Calls for the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are resounding through the press today, as a host of media commentators demand that responsibility be taken at the highest levels for the abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghurayb prison. Several U.S. soldiers have already been charged after photos of Iraqi prisoners being coerced into humiliating poses and accusations of systematic physical abuse were made public last week. Some observers say the criminal abuse of detainees in Iraq is another symptom of the "extrajudicial" climate created at the highest levels in Washington. Other topics of debate in the media today include the new isolationism of the United States and Russia, even as global cooperation becomes increasingly vital, and the future of Georgia's two remaining restive provinces, now that Adjaria is back under Tbilisi's sway.

May 06, 2004

Western Press Review: Afghan Atrocities And The Rule Of Law; Influence And Cooperation In Eurasia; Iraqi Prisoner Abuse

Prague, 6 May 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Commentary and news analysis in the press today takes a look at war crimes and setbacks to establishing the rule of law in Afghanistan; economic cooperation and the struggle for regional influence in Eurasia; and the ongoing U.S.-led mission in Iraq. The London-based "Financial Times" today calls for the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld over allegations of abuse at the Abu Ghurayb prison outside Baghdad.