Khatya Chhor

Western Press Review: Entente On The Subcontinent, Khatami Addresses Davos Amid Protest In Iran, Baku's Reform Efforts

Prague, 22 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics addressed by press commentary today are Azerbaijan's dubious commitment to liberal reform, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami's "mixed" message to the Davos Economic Forum, and Indian and Pakistani leaders' moves toward a peaceful solution over Kashmir. We also take a look at the ongoing standoff between liberal and conservative leaders in Iran, as dozens of reformist deputies begin a 12th day of a sit-in at parliament to protest the disqualification of over 2,000 liberal candidates from elections next month.

Western Press Review: Bush's State Of The Union, Unrest In Adjaria, And Consolidating Power In Russia

Prague, 21 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Several items in the press today discuss U.S. President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech last night, in which he assessed many of his administration's foreign policy decisions of the past year and introduced his domestic re-election platform as campaigning heats up for the 2 November ballot. At issue elsewhere in the press are establishing a reliable Iraqi-run news source to replace dependence on foreign news, simmering unrest in Georgia's breakaway republic of Adjaria, and the consolidation of political power in Russia.

Western Press Review: Allegations Of Nuclear Proliferation, Georgian Reform, And The Iowa Presidential Caucuses

Prague, 20 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- An overview of media coverage today finds a discussion of new allegations that Pakistan shared nuclear technology with other states in the region and beyond, the lessons that events in Afghanistan may hold for Iraq, and the long road ahead for Georgia's new reformist leadership.

Western Press Review: Debating Iraq's Election Process, The U.S. Presidential Race, And EU-NATO Expansion

Prague, 19 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics discussed in the press today are a planned meeting between Iraqi leaders and coalition authorities today at the UN; the caucus in the U.S. state of Iowa, which will help determine who will become the Democratic nominee to challenge incumbent U.S. President George W. Bush; the uncertain future of Georgia's semi-autonomous Abkhazia region; and the eastward expansion of the European Union and NATO to Russia's "doorstep."

Western Press Review: Karadzic Eludes NATO, Iraq's Reversal On Women's Rights, And Putin's Newest Challenger

Prague, 16 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the issues discussed by media analysis and commentary today are Germany's offer to send humanitarian aid to Iraq, as well as another failed NATO attempt this week to apprehend war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic. The ongoing struggle between Iran's conservative and reformist camps over the disqualification of liberal candidates from election rosters is also considered, as are Western plans for "remodeling" the Middle East and the newest challenger to Russian President Vladimir Putin's re-election bid, Irina Khakamada.

Western Press Review: Iran's Parliamentary Standoff, Education in Iraq, the Afghan Constitution

Prague, 15 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Discourse and debate in the media today touches on the continuing standoff between Iran's reformist legislators and its conservative clerics, re-establishing the education infrastructure for children in Iraq, and fears within the leadership in the breakaway republic of Adjaria of Tbilisi's new "democratic contagion." One analysis considers what significance the much-lauded agreement on a new constitution for Afghanistan can really have in a country where warlords rule and personal security is far from guaranteed.

Western Press Review: Iran's 'Political Soul,' Voting In Iraq, And Georgia -- A Pawn In The 'Great Game'

Prague, 14 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics discussed in some of the world's news dailies today are Iran's ongoing parliamentary standoff, a battle for what one paper calls Iran's "political soul"; a growing debate in Iraq over whether to hold direct or to implement a caucus system; the Armenian diaspora's complex relationship with the authorities in Yerevan; and the latest rivalry between Russia and the United States, as both vie for influence with Georgia's new leadership.

Western Press Review: Moscow's Policy Toward Georgia, Iran's Reformists, Balkan Progress

Items in several news dailies today discuss Russian-Georgian relations, as Moscow considers its policy toward the new regime in Tbilisi. According to one regional daily, Washington is warily watching the debate to determine whether its interests in the Caucasus will be challenged by new Russian attempts to exert influence in the region. Other topics include renewing calls for reform in the Balkans, the parliamentary standoff in Iran and predictions for a changing Russia in 2004.

Western Press Review: Russia's Waning Influence in the Caucasus, Putin's Re-Election Bid, Ukrainian Reform

Prague, 12 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics being discussed in some of the major dailies today are Russia's waning influence in the Caucasus, the Kremlin's tight-fisted control of national politics ahead of presidential elections in March, encouraging liberal political reform in Ukraine, and the high hopes pinned on Georgian President-elect Mikheil Saakashvili: Are they too high to be realized?

Western Press Review: Politics And Policy In The Caucasus; Protecting Freedoms By Living With Risk

Prague, 9 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics discussed in major dailies today are the challenges ahead for Georgia's new leadership, Russian policy in the Caucasus, the limits of military intelligence, and balancing the need for security with the obligation to protect civic freedoms -- what one columnist calls "the third great totalitarian challenge to open societies in the last 100 years."

Western Press Review: Not-So-Liberal Democracies, And South Asian Economic Secularism

Prague, 8 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Commentary and analysis in the press today takes a look at some of the world's newest democracies, liberal and otherwise; South Asia's growing wealth and secularist trends; a new report warning of the severe effects of global warming; and building a more democratic civil society in Iran, among other issues.

Western Press Review: Democracy's Dilemmas, Serbian Reform, And The New U.S. Fingerprinting Policy

Prague, 7 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Among the topics up for debate in the press today are the intricacies and contradictions of fostering democracy around the world, encouraging reform in Serbia, Georgia's presidential elections, and the controversial new U.S. policy on fingerprinting and photographing visiting foreigners.

Western Press Review: The Afghan Constitution, U.S. Policy In Iran, And Continuing Support For Serbia

Prague, 6 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Several major dailies today discuss the agreement reached on a new constitution by Afghanistan's grand assembly, or Loya Jirga. Weeks of contentious debate finally led to a settlement on 4 January that paves the way for elections to be held later this year. Other topics of interest today include the inconsistencies of U.S. policy on Iran, presidential elections in Georgia on 4 Januray, and the importance of continued international aid and support for Serbia.

Western Press Review: Rapprochement On The Subcontinent, Georgian Elections, And The World Without Oil

Prague, 5 January 2004 (RFE/RL) -- As much of the world returns to work today following the Christmas and New Year's holidays, attention is being paid in the press to a possible rapprochement between India and Pakistan, as the leaders of both countries meet for an informal "courtesy call" in Islamabad. Yesterday's presidential election in Georgia is also discussed, as preliminary results indicate opposition leader Mikhail Saakashvili, a main orchestrator of Tbilisi's Revolution of Roses in late November, won by a landslide. Other topics of interest in the media today include planning for a world without oil, the unintended consequences of international trials, and a U.S. probe's successful landing on Mars yesterday.

Western Press Review: France's Ban On Religious Symbols, Aid To Afghanistan And Comparing Saddam, Milosevic

Western Press Review: Constitutional Controversy, From The EU To Afghanistan; Human Rights In Iran; Kosovo

Western Press Review: The Death of Heidar Aliyev, Facing Up To International Collusion With Saddam Hussein's Regime

Western Press Review: Debating The Merits Of Iraqi, International Tribunals

Western Press Review: The Capture Of Saddam Hussein In A 'Spider Hole' Near Tikrit

Western Press Review: Debate Over Iraq's Rebuilding Contracts And The EU Constitutional Convention