Insecurity Exacerbated by Coalition Weakness/Jordan Times/New WMW

[Gloria]

Links, full excerpts up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR AUGUST 11, 2004

1//The Jordan Times, Jordan--INSECURITY EXACERBATED BY COALITION WEAKNESS (A US takeover of Polish command in the restive holy city of Najaf hot on the heels of the Philippines' withdrawal of its troops from Iraq has underscored a weak multinational force in which Anglo-US domination only exacerbates insecurity, analysts said Tuesday…“The multinational presence is very important because the greater the number of countries that participate in this, the more legitimacy it has and the better it is accepted by the local people,” said Hussein Sinjari. Instead “there is an increasing perception of British and US domination,” added the president of the Iraq Institute for Democracy… A spokesman said Tuesday that coalition troops under British command no longer patrol outside their bases and have kept a low profile, particularly since sovereignty was returned to Iraq six weeks ago. He confirmed that there had been no request from authorities in Basra for British troops finish off the militia, as in Najaf. But at the London School of Economics, international relations professor Barry Buzan believes that bailing
out, rather than staying, may ultimately be the lesser of two evils. “I don't think the Americans and British can do good here,” he told AFP.)



2//Institute for War & Peace Reporting, UK-- MAHDI ARMY DRAWS SUPPORTERS (…This type of hit-and-run attack is typical of fighting in the streets, suburbs, and cemeteries of Najaf between US troops and Iraqi paramilitaries on one side, and the Mahdi Army militia of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr on the other. But this time there was a key difference – the presence of Col Rifaat al-Janabi. Dressed in the uniform of Saddam Hussein's Special Republican Guards, Janabi had come from his home in Fallujah to show Najaf’s poorly-trained Mahdi militiamen how to use their weapons. "The Fallujah Consultancy Council of Mujahedin holy warriors sent me with nine other officers and forty soldiers who are well trained in using mortar and the RPG-7 grenade launcher," said Janabi, who unlike many Iraqi insurgents had no qualms about giving his name.)



3//The Daily Star, Lebanon--LEBANESE DRIVERS AVOID IRAQ ROUTE (…Usually prefabricated houses, power generators, bottles of water and alcohol are sent to the US Army. While such merchandise can stand out, the lure of greater profits is tough to resist, with some truck drivers paying between $300 and $400 for a shipment. Nonetheless, "the rate of Lebanese drivers traveling to Iraq has dropped to 10 percent, a drop from the pre-war high of 80 percent," said the owner. He estimated that nearly 90 percent of trailers going to Iraq are now Syrian. "Lebanese owners are afraid of shipping merchandise to Iraq," he said.)



4//The Independent, UK--BLUNKETT FACES REVOLT OVER TERROR POWERS (David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, faces a cabinet backlash over his plans to overhaul anti-terrorism laws aimed at deterring an attack in Britain. A powerful coalition of ministers opposes the renewal of emergency powers to detain foreign terrorist suspects without charge. They also warn that measures designed to combat domestic terrorism could backfire because they cause resentment among a generation of young Muslims…Hostility has intensified as Mr Blunkett draws up a new package to replace anti-terrorist legislation of 2000 and 2001. Most contentious is his determination to keep the power to detain suspected international terrorists without trial.)



RELATED: BLAIR FACES VOTE OF NO-CONFIDENCE OVER WAR



5//The Scotsman, UK--TIDAL WAVE CATASTROPHE LOOMS (World leaders were yesterday urged to wake up to the threat from a collapsing mountain which at any moment could unleash a massive tidal wave on the east coast of North America. A chunk of a volcano in the Canary Islands the size of the Isle of Man is on the brink of falling into the sea, a leading expert warned. Scientists think it could break away when the Cumbre Vieja volcano in La Palma next erupts… Professor Bill McGuire, of the Benfield Grieg Hazard Research Centre at London’s University College, said yesterday close monitoring might at best provide two weeks’ warning of the impending disaster…"The US government must be aware of the La Palma threat. They should certainly be worried, and so should the island states in the Caribbean that will really bear the brunt of a collapse.")