Khatya Chhor

April 06, 2004

Western Press Review: Resurgent Violence In Iraq, Terrorism Strategies In Tashkent, And Misconceptions About Georgia

Prague, 6 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- An upsurge in violence in Iraq is one of the topics being debated throughout the press today. U.S.-led forces are conducting a reinvigorated campaign in the so-called Sunni triangle in central Iraq and in the restive city of Al-Fallujah. Other topics include the strategy used by Tashkent's terrorists; prevailing misconceptions about Georgia's "Rose Revolution"; and what is really behind the Kremlin's hardened stance toward last week's NATO enlargement.

April 02, 2004

Western Press Review: Afghanistan Aid, Georgia's Adjaria Crisis, And Continued Failures To Capture Karadzic

Prague, 2 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics discussed in some of the major dailies today are renewed pledges of aid to Afghanistan, transformation and separatism under Georgia's new leadership, international "soul-searching" on Kosovo's final status, and former Bosnian-Serb leader Radavan Karadzic's deft evasion of another NATO attempt to apprehend the indicted war criminal.

April 01, 2004

Western Press Review: Afghanistan's Drug Trade, Attacks In Tashkent And Brutal Slayings In Al-Fallujah

Prague, 1 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics up for debate in some of the world's leading dailies today are the rebuilding of Afghanistan as a donors conference in Berlin this week pledged $8.2 billion in additional aid to the country; ongoing violence in Uzbekistan, blamed by authorities on Islamic extremists; and the brutal slaying of four Western contractors in the central Iraqi city of Al-Fallujah, carried out in front of the world's television cameras.

March 31, 2004

Western Press Review: The 'Sick Man' Of Europe, Press Freedom In Iraq, And Violence In Uzbekistan

Prague, 31 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics being discussed in today's press are Russia's role as the "sick man" of Europe, the U.S. closure of a popular newspaper in Iraq, the autocratic tendencies of the new Georgian leadership, and the continued violence in Uzbekistan.

March 29, 2004

Western Press Review: Europe's New Divide, Beijing's Influence In Central Asia, And Christianity And Islam

Prague, 29 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics up for discussion in some of the major media outlets today are China's influence in Central Asia; Europe's new East-West divide; European Union attempts to combat supranational terrorism; resurgent violence last week in Kosovo; and a consideration of Christianity and Islam.

March 26, 2004

Western Press Review: British-Libyan Rapprochement, NATO Priorities In South Caucasus

Prague, 26 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Some of the topics at issue in the press today include NATO priorities in the Black Sea-South Caucuses region; British Prime Minister Tony Blair's visit to Libya; shifting U.S. interests in Central Asia; and the ongoing testimony in the United States regarding intelligence failures that may have contributed to the failure to prevent the attacks of 11 September 2001.

March 25, 2004

Western Press Review: The Evolving Iraqi Resistance, Putin's Economic Legacy, Belarus And The Future Of Europe

Prague, 25 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics up for discussion in the press today are the evolving nature of the Iraqi resistance; the latest interethnic violence in Kosovo; Russian President Vladimir Putin's economic legacy; the European Union, Belarus, and the future of Europe; and the targeted assassination this week of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

March 24, 2004

Western Press Review: EU Counterterrorism, Afghan Microfinancing, And The 11 September Commission

Prague, 24 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Commentary and debate in the press today addresses the EU's antiterrorism policies; slow but steady progress in Bosnia; improving the lives of Afghan women; and the targeted assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Attention also centers on this week's public hearings in the United States on the intelligence failures that led to the 11 September 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

March 23, 2004

Western Press Review: The Yassin Assassination And Hope For Peace In the Middle East; The 11 September Inquiry

Prague, 23 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Much of today's press commentary focuses on the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the founder and spiritual leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas. Yassin was killed in a targeted Israeli air strike in the early morning hours yesterday. With Hamas calling for revenge, many observers are wondering how Yassin's death will affect the already-shaky Mideast peace process.

March 22, 2004

Western Press Review: Resurgent Violence In Kosovo And Assessing Progress In Iraq One Year After

Prague, 22 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- The press devotes considerable attention today to recent events in Kosovo, where interethnic violence flared up last week following the drowning deaths of two Albanian boys after allegedly being chased into a river by Serbian youths. The riots that ensued left at least 24 dead, destroyed dozens of homes, churches, and mosques, and led to growing international concern over the status of the UN protectorate.

March 19, 2004

Western Press Review: Interethnic Violence Erupts In Kosovo And The One-Year Anniversary Of War In Iraq

Prague, 19 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the start of the Iraq war (20 March), much of the press devotes considerable attention to assessing what has been achieved since the U.S.-led ouster of Saddam Hussein. The anniversary is somewhat eclipsed, however, by a surge of new violence in Kosovo. Three Albanian teenagers drowned this week in the UN protectorate when they were allegedly chased into a river by Serbian youths. The drownings precipitated an angry reaction from Albanians and sparked retaliatory violence aimed at the Serbian community, which left 20 dead and destroyed dozens of homes.

March 18, 2004

Western Press Review: Trans-Atlantic Cooperation, Global Attitudes Toward The U.S., And Economic Stagnation In The Balkans

Prague, 18 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- As the one-year anniversary approaches of the launch of the Iraq war, editorial comment in today's press turns to trans-Atlantic relations and a new poll on foreign attitudes toward the United States. Commentary also looks at how economic stagnation in the Balkans will influence the region's long-term aim of joining the EU.

March 17, 2004

Western Press Review: Elections In Russia And Spain, The West's Nation-Building Breakdowns

Prague, 17 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Discussion in the media today continues concerning the outcome of Spanish and Russian elections last week. While Russian President Vladimir Putin easily won re-election, pundits continue to debate whether the ouster of Spain's ruling Popular Party was a direct reaction to the deadly bombings in Madrid last week, which killed more than 200 people. If so, would this represent a political victory for terrorism? The common failures of the West's nation-building efforts are also addressed in the press today, as are the chances for a U.S.-Iranian rapprochement.

March 15, 2004

Western Press Review: Putin's Second Term, Spain Votes Under The Shadow Of Terrorism, Separatist Moves In Georgia

Prague, 15 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Elections in Russia and Spain over the weekend are much discussed in the press today, as Spanish voters ousted the ruling party in anger at the way it handled last week's (11 March) multiple bomb blasts on Madrid commuter trains. Russia's ballot was less surprising, as President Vladimir Putin easily won a second term in the absence of compelling political rivals. Events in Georgia are also at issue, as tensions grow between Tbilisi and the semi-autonomous government in the breakaway region of Adjaria.

March 11, 2004

Western Press Review: Blair Courts His Counterparts, Russian Elections, And The Mideast’s Negative View Of The U.S.

Prague, 11 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics being debated in the major news dailies today are British Prime Minister Tony Blair's attempts to mend fences with his French and German counterparts, the dubious alliance between Washington and Islamabad, upcoming (14 March) presidential elections in Russia, and America's negative image in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

March 10, 2004

Western Press Review: Russian Elections, Iran And The IAEA, Securing Belgrade's Cooperation With The Hague

Prague, 10 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics addressed by analysis and commentary in some of the major media outlets today are the release of five British nationals from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; upcoming presidential elections in Russia; securing Belgrade's cooperation with the international war crimes tribunal in The Hague; and how the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should respond to Iran's dissembling on its nuclear program.

March 09, 2004

Western Press Review: Challenges In Bosnia, Iraq, And Iran; The Emerging Science Of 'Putinology'

Prague, 9 March 2004 (RFE/RL) – Trans-Atlantic tussles over the international force in Bosnia, Iraq's nascent democratic experiment, and U.S. nation-building efforts are some of the topics being debated in media commentary today. Also up for discussion are Iranian nuclear policy and what one commentator calls the emerging science of "Putinology," named for Russia's sometimes intractable president.

March 08, 2004

Western Press Review: Assessing Progress On International Women's Day And Coaxing Democracy In Ukraine

Prague, 8 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics covered by news analyses in the major dailies today are encouraging democracy in Ukraine, divisions over Western policy toward Iran, the wrong way to "sell democracy" to the Arab world and increasing ethnic divisions in Iraq. We also hear from one commentator who assesses the overall progress made by women as the world observes International Women’s Day.

March 04, 2004

Western Press Review: Security In Iraq, Russia's New Prime Minister, And Trajkovski's ‘Political Courage’

Prague, 4 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- A review of the major dailies today finds discussion of Russia's new prime minister; Washington's controversial alliance with Uzbek President Islam Karimov; maintaining security in Iraq following the 2 March twin bombings in Baghdad and Karbala; and the late Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, who one commentary calls a Balkan leader who exhibited "rare political courage."

March 03, 2004

Western Press Review: Attacks On Shi'a In Iraq And Pakistan, Russian Prime Minister Kasyanov's Sudden Dismissal

Prague, 3 March 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Media speculation is rife over the widespread violence yesterday directed at Shi'a Muslims celebrating the Ashura holy festival, which commemorates the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, and is the most holy day in the Shi'a calendar. Twin bomb blasts in Baghdad and Karbala killed at least 271 people in Iraq. More than 25 Shi'a pilgrims were also killed yesterday in an attack in Quetta near the Afghan-Pakistani border. Opinion varies widely on both the identity of the perpetrators and the motive for the attacks. The possibilities for democracy in Iraq and the sacking of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov are also under discussion in the press today.