Full excerpts, links up now at
http://www.zianet.com/insightanalyticalTomorrow at Buzzflash.com
WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR APRIL 7, 2004
1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--SPEAKING FREELY: THE CHAOS THEORY IN ACTION(If Iraq is sliding toward chaos, this is exactly where most Iraqis believe the US wants them to be. A prominent Iraqi psychiatrist who has worked with the CPA and US military explained to me that "there is no way the United States can be this incompetent. The chaos here has to be at least partly deliberate." The main question on most people's minds is not if his assertion is true, but why. In this context, the sending of foreign contractors into Falluja in late-model SUVs with armed escorts - down a street clogged with traffic where they would literally be sitting ducks - only feeds suspicion that the US is deliberately instigating more violence as a pretext for "punishment" and further chaos courtesy of the US military. …Colgate University professor Nancy Ries describes the chaos in Iraq as "sponsored chaos", which fits into the broad definition of chaos theory as an ordered system or purpose underlying seemingly random events. That is, war and occupation are wonderful opportunities for corporations to make billions of dollars in profits, unchecked by the laws and regulations that hamper their profitability in peace time.)
2//The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia--NO PLANS TO SEND MORE TROOPS TO IRAQ: PM (The Prime Minister, John Howard, buoyed by polls that appear to support his opposition to withdrawing troops from Iraq, says that there are no plans to provide more forces in response to the mounting turmoil in the country…on reports that US military authorities were suggesting the need for an increased coalition contribution, Mr Howard said: "We don't have any plans to provide more.")
3//The Guardian, UK-- BLAIR: WE MUST HOLD FIRM IN IRAQ (The meeting with Hoshyar Zebari, who was appointed by the Iraqi interim governing council, was prearranged, but in a session with reporters Mr Blair and Mr Zebari insisted that "moderates will succeed" in Iraq.The brief meeting in Downing Street came as the Ministry of Defence announced fresh troop deployments to Iraq…Mr Zebari called for thousands more troops to deal with the spiralling violence…The US is considering sending more soldiers out after a fresh wave of violence. But the MoD was adamant that the latest British contingent did not constitute "extra" troops. "They are not additional," a spokesman said.)
4//The International Herald Tribune, France--SPANIARDS SAY WAR MAKES THEM A TARGET (Prime Minister-elect José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who is due to take office on April 16, has stuck by his campaign promise to pull Spain's 1,300 troops out of Iraq at the end of June unless the United Nations has taken control of the occupation by then. This pledge was made before 10 coordinated bombs ripped apart four commuter trains and killed 191 people on March 11. But now, many in Spain say they do not think about a UN mandate when they talk about the need to withdraw troops. They say they think about avoiding more terrorist attacks, leaving the new government's motive for a possible pullout uncomfortably out of line with views on the street… Thousands of people have taken to Madrid's streets over the past two days, protesting against terrorism and decrying Spain's involvement in Iraq. Many banners focused on the war, reading "Get the troops out of Iraq now" and "No more blood for oil.")
5//The Moscow Times, Russia--MIDDLE EAST STABILITY TOPS YEMENI TALKS (President Vladimir Putin pledged Russian help Tuesday in promoting stability in the Middle East, telling visiting Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh that Moscow was paying close attention to the troubled region… Both leaders also said they would discuss bilateral cooperation, particularly in expanding business ties. The Soviet Union and then Russia have delivered some $8 billion worth of military technology and arms to Yemen, Interfax reported, citing a defense industry source… Yemeni Prime Minister Abdul-Kader Bajammal said Sunday that Yemen -- the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden -- has dismantled 90 percent of his al-Qaida cells in the country, in part by payoffs to tribes that once sheltered them.)