The Diplomatic Times Review

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September 30, 2005

Thousands Expected to Return to New Orleans

"As thousands of residents return to New Orleans today, one month after Hurricane Katrina, they will find a city that is recovering but still short of adequate goods and services," writes New Orleans Times-Picayune reporter Bruce Hamilton in a September 30, 2005 post at NOLA.com.

He said, "For much of what they need, they will have to leave again." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:54 AM | Comments (0)

China the U.S. and Latin America

Jiang Shixue, "one of China's top scholars on Latin American affairs, has brought a reassuring message to U.S. officials participating at The [Miami] Herald's Conference of the Americas starting in Miami today [September 29, 2005] -- you shouldn't worry about China's growing influence in Latin America," according to Miami Herald reporter Andres Oppenheimer.

Mr. Oppenheimer, said "Jiang, the deputy director of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Department of Latin American Affairs -- a government think tank with 56 full-time staff members that may be the world's biggest Latin American studies center -- says there is no such thing as a ''China threat'' to U.S. interests in this hemisphere.

''The U.S. concern is unnecessary,'' he told me upon arriving in Miami earlier this week, Mr. Oppenheimer wrote. Jiang said,``China's relations with Latin America are not targeted towards any third party.'' Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:47 AM | Comments (0)

U.S. Virgin Islands to Host Caribbean Fire Service Confab in October

According to Caribbean Net News, "the U.S. Virgin Islands Fire Services will host a conference bringing together fire chiefs and rescue agencies from more than eleven Caribbean countries October 4- 9, [2005]." The announcement was made by "Fire Service Deputy Commissioner Merwin Potter." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:20 AM | Comments (0)

CARICOM Sets Up Caribbean Consumer Council

A Caribbean Consumer Council has been inaugurated with a mandate "to help crystallize the efforts of the consumer protection movement in each Caricom [Caribbean Community] member state, as preparations for the full implementation of the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) move into high gear," according to the Antigua Sun.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:14 AM | Comments (0)

Mandelson: EU Aid 'Has Not Helped Caribbean Exports'

Ireland Online reported today that EU [European Union] Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said yesterday [September 29, 20056] that decades of preferential access have not boosted Caribbean exports to Europe, and urged countries to end their economic dependence on single agricultural crops." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:05 AM | Comments (0)

EUPolitix: EU Works With Africa on Aid'

"Europe has worked closely with Africa to ensure increased aid will be allocated effectively," Louis Michel, "EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said on Thursday," September 29, 2005, according to EUPolitix. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:57 AM | Comments (0)

24 Sub-Saharan African Nations Face Food Emergencies

"A total of 24 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are listed in FAO's [Food and Agriculture Organization] Africa Report as facing food emergencies, caused by problems ranging from civil strife and war to adverse weather and economic crisis," according to a FAO press release.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:50 AM | Comments (0)

Algeria Claims Nearly 80% Voter Turnout For Peace Referendum

"Algerians have turned out en masse to vote on a peace charter presented by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika as the only hope of ending a conflict that has left 150,000 dead," according to Aljazeera.Net.

"But," the news outlet reported September 30, 2005, "opponents have dismissed Thursday's [September 29, 2005] vote as a pretext to extend presidential powers."

For more, please see "Algeria claims 80% voter turnout."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:40 AM | Comments (0)

Some Africans Trying to Enter Spain Reportedly Shot

EITB24, the "Basque news and information channel," reported September 29, 2005 that, "Two of five Africans killed when hundreds of migrants charged a razor-wire fence in an attempt to cross into one of Spain's enclaves in northern Morocco had bullet wounds, indicating they were shot from the Moroccan side of the fence, news reports said Thursday [September 29, 2005]."

EITB24 said, "Sources close to the investigation told the national news agency Efe that bullets had passed through the side of one immigrant and through one buttock of the other. They said the trajectory meant they could only have been fired from Morocco.

"The Interior Ministry could not immediately comment on the report," EITB24 said. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:32 AM | Comments (0)

Keeping Desperate Africans at Bay

"The European Union is seen as the land of opportunity by many living in desperate poverty in Africa," according to Dominic Bailey of BBC News. However, some EU countries, many of whom had African colonies, are imposing additional measures to keep them out."

As Giles Tremlett of The Guardian of London noted in a September 30, 2005 report,

Spanish border police armed with riot gear and rubber bullets faced hundreds of sub-Saharan Africans prepared to risk their lives yesterday [September 29, 2005] to get across the razorwire-topped perimeter fence around a Spanish enclave [Ceuta] in north Africa in an attempt to claim immigrant status.

He said, "Two would-be immigrants died on the Spanish side of Ceuta's frontier and the bodies of three more were found on the Moroccan side after they tried to storm over the border shortly before dawn."

For more of the BBC report, please see "EU outposts turn into fortresses."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:18 AM | Comments (0)

Germany's New Opposition

Deutsche Welle's Heinz Dylong told readers in a September 29, 2005 article headlined " Opinion: Germany's New Opposition":

It's foreseeable that Germany's next government will be a grand coalition of the left-center Social Democratic Party and the right-center Christian Union parties, leaving the Free Democrats Greens and the Left Party to chew over what roles they'll play from the opposition's hard benches.

He said, "Each party will have to decide what risks it wants to take and how to show its strengths against a ruling government that will have a comfortable majority of about 450 of the some 600 seats in the Bundestag." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:43 AM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2005

Will a Grand Coalition Govern Germany or Will Schröder Resign?

Germany's Deutsche Welle reported today that, "While Germans wait for the announcement of a new government, speculation is rising about Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's resignation. The publication also sad " the opposition believes more and more in a grand coalition."

"The surprising optimism following Wednesday's [September 28, 2005] talks between Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's Social Democrats (SPD) and the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU) led by Angela Merkel has now been followed by further speculation about how the country will find a way out of its political paralysis," Deutsche Welle added, noting that, "The rumor mill in Berlin is churning out speculation that Schröder would rescind his claims of being chancellor for a third term."

For more analysis, please see "Government Denies Resignation Rumors."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)

'Karen Hughes’ Mission: Accomplished ... or Not'

Ambassador Karen P. Hughes, the Bush Administration's Undersecretary of State for Public diplomacy and Public Affairs, visited Saudi Arabia September 27, 2005. Ebtihal Mubarak and Summer Islam of Arab News provides an analysis of her futile campaign to win the hearts andminds of Muslims, especially women, for the Bush Administration.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:46 AM | Comments (0)

Turkish Women Confront Hughes Over Iraq War

Washington Post reporter Glenn Kessler, writing from Instanbul, Turkey, said, "A group of Turkish female activists confronted Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes yesterday [September 28, 2005] with heated complaints about the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, turning a session designed to highlight the empowerment of women into a raw display of anger at U.S. policy in the region."

He quoted Hidayet Sefkatli Tuksal, an activist with the Capital City Women's Forum, as saying: "This war is really, really bringing your positive efforts to the level of zero,"

"She said it was difficult to talk about cooperation between women in the United States and Turkey as long as Iraq was under occupation," Mr. Kessler wrote. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

Speaking Out Against U.S. atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq

Just World News editor and publisher Helena Cobban paid tribute to "Ian Fishback, a captain in the 82d Airborne and a West Point grad," who "has been particularly courageous" in speaking out against atrocities committed by U.S. soldiers.

She wrote September 28, 2005 that, he "was most probably one of the main sources for Human Rights Watch's recent report on torture and abuse being carried out by the US in Iraq and Afghanistan."

For more, please see "Capt. Fishback's stand for humanity."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:25 AM | Comments (0)

Riverbend Looks Back On September 11

Back on September 11, 2005, Riverbend at Baghdad Burning told her readers:

For the 3,000 victims in America, more than 100,000 have died in Iraq. Tens of thousands of others are being detained for interrogation and torture. Our homes have been raided, our cities are constantly being bombed and Iraq has fallen back decades, and for several years to come we will suffer under the influence of the extremism we didn't know prior to the war.

Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)

Scholars Continue to Respond to 'Don't Push Syria Away'

Scholars are continuing to critique an Op-Ed piece by Fulbright Scholar Joshua Landis that appeared in the September 17, 2005 edition of The New York Times. It was headlined "Don't Push Syria Away."

Mr. Landis reported in a September 29, 2005 post at his blog, Syria Comment.Com, that "Robert Rabil, director of graduate studies at Florida Atlantic University, who has written much of the most intelligent and interesting analysis on Lebanon and Syria for the influential think tank, the Washington Institute of Near East Policy, has commented on my op-ed with his own article in the "Daily Star."

Here's the article. Also see "As'ad: Landis 'Misses the Point, Unsurprisingly...'

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:43 AM | Comments (0)

Will the Democratic Party Listen to the American Street on Iraq War?

In an article at Salon.Com headlined "The "American street" speaks: Will the Democratic Party listen? Professor Juan Cole, the proprietor of Informed Comment wrote:

As more and more Americans turn against Bush's Iraq war, Democratic politicians remain silent. Their play-it-safe strategy isn't just cowardly, it also won't work.

I agree. If the Democrats don't act now, they lose a grand opportunity to prevent more Americans from dying in a lost cause. In addition, withdrawing from Iraq will save billions of dollars that can be used to rebuild the U.S. Gulf Coast, that was devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:16 AM | Comments (0)

Is a New Phase of Conflict Developing in the Middle East?

"It is a moot point whether the Palestinian uprising is over," contends Reuters correspondent Matthew TostevinIn in an analysis of Israeli-Palestinian relations. "A new phase of conflict is already taking shape in the Middle East." Here's his analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:59 AM | Comments (0)

Mideast Wire: English-Language Digest of the Arabic Press

"For a general view of what the Arabic newspapers are saying - as well as some of the Farsi newspapers in Iran - the most useful and affordable service is the recently-launched Mideast Wire, which monitors more than 50 publications and provides extracts from 30-40 news items and opinion articles every day," according to the Guardian Unlimited's Brian Whitaker.

"It's not free," he added, "but at $87 (£50) a year, the basic-rate subscription is quite modest considering the amount of copy supplied - around 10,000 words a day." For more, please see "Language Matters."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)

The British EU Presidency: Is it Failing?

Richard North at EU Referendum notes that, "Quentin Peel in the Financial Times today laments the failure of the British EU presidency and then expands his cri de coeur to address the more general malaise of the EU. The trouble is, he writes, that there is a failure to debate the issues of Europe at a national level," Mr. North wrote. For more, please see "A dreadful malaise."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:30 AM | Comments (0)

EU Parliament Postpones Vote on Turkey

"The European Parliament postponed a vote to ratify Turkey's customs union with the European Union on Wednesday [September 28, 2005], citing frustration over Ankara's continued refusal to recognize Cyprus," according to The Associated Press (AP). Other publications have also reported the development.

The AP added: "In another step certain to anger the Turkish government days ahead of scheduled EU membership talks, lawmakers called on Ankara to recognize the 1915-23 killings of Armenians as genocide. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:22 AM | Comments (0)

There's Anxiety in Europe Over Prospect of Turkey Joining EU

The BBC reported today, September 28, 2005, that, "Europe's [news]papers detect signs of anxiety across the European Union at the prospect of full membership for Turkey." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:11 AM | Comments (0)

Jean Charles de Menzes' Family Wants Sir Ian Blair to Resign

"After an emotional visit to the spot where Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead by police marksmen, his parents [Maria Otone de Menezes and Matozinho Otone Da Silva] said that the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Ian Blair, must take the blame for failing in his duty to protect their son," The Independent of London reported September 29, 2005. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:03 AM | Comments (0)

Jean Charles de Menezes' Executioners May Be Tried

The Times Online reported September 29, 2005 that, "Police involved in the fatal shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on a London Tube train in July have been warned that they could face criminal charges, it emerged last night [September 28, 2005].

The Times said "Two marksmen who shot the Brazilian seven times in the head at Stockwell station [on July 22, 2005], and four surveillance officers, have been served with Regulation Nine notices listing allegations, the first stage in a disciplinary process that could lead to an Old Bailey trial." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

Hearing Confirms Michael Brown Was Unfit to Lead FEMA

The Boston Herald's editorial staff said in a September 28, 2005 editorial that, "Former FEMA Director Michael Brown forgot the first rule of holes you know, when you're in one, stop digging."

The paper added:

In one of the most whiny performances ever witnessed in Washington and that's saying something Brown went well beyond attempting to defend the performance of his agency, spending a considerable amount of time whining about his treatment in the media.

After listening to some of Brown's testimony, I concluded that his personality is not suited to running an agency such as The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He is not authoritative and blames others for his faults. The debacle at the New Orleans Superdome and Morial Convention Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina exposed his weaknesses om plain view of the world..

Here's the Herald editorial.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)

Why Did New Orleans Police Supt. Eddie Compass Resign?

Why did Eddie Compass, the Police Superintendent in New Orleans, USA, "abruptly" resign his post September 26, 2005?

James Varney and Michael Perlstein, staff writers for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, tries to explain why this move by a the man "whose emotional media appearances since Hurricane Katrina made him one of the city's most recognizable figures nationwide."

They said

"The stunning departure of the city's top cop roiled New Orleans leaders, and raised questions of whether Mayor Ray Nagin forced Mr. Compass from his job. Earlier this month, on September 9, Mr. Compass said, "I want to be police chief here as long as I can and as long as Mayor Nagin will have me.

Well, it seems that Mr. Nagin, or some of his advisers, no longer wants him. If he did, I feel confident that Mr. Compass would not have resigned. And abruptly at that. Here's the NOLA.Com report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2005

Nearly 6,000 Gulf Coast Doctors Uprooted by Katrina

"Nearly 6,000 doctors along the [U.S.] Gulf Coast were uprooted by Hurricane Katrina in the largest displacement of physicians in U.S. history, university researchers reported Monday," September 26, 2005, according to The Associated Press. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)

Are We Supposed to be Grateful?

Fergus Finlay of The Irish Examiner asked about the so-called Irish Republican Army "decommissioning":

Are we supposed to be grateful? Are we now supposed to flock in our thousands to vote for Sinn Féin? Are we supposed to acknowledge and accept what Martin McGuinness and others call this truly historic moment?

"Well, count me out," he declared in a September 27, 2005 article. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:37 AM | Comments (0)

Slugger O'Toole Has Good Coverage on IRA 'Decommissioning"

For good coverage on the so-called "decommissioning" of the Irish Republican Army, please see the blog Slugger O'Toole, which offers "notes on Northern Ireland politics and culture." The writing is very good.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)

Columnist Expects Violence to Continue in Northern Ireland

Columnist John O'Sullivan, in a September 27, 2005, article in the Chicago Sun-Times, predicts that: "With the news that the IRA has announced its positively final arms decommissioning, a stately political minuet will begin to revive a power-sharing Northern Ireland Executive that includes Sinn Fein (the unarmed half of the Sinn Fein-IRA octopus)."

For more, please see "A farewell to arms, but not to violence."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:22 AM | Comments (0)

Rumors of Many Murders, Rapes in New Orleans Exaggerated

An investigation by the New Orleans Times-Picayune into an alleged high number of murders and rapes at the Super Dome and Morial Convention Center in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has found that "rumors of deaths (were) greatly exaggerated." The publication said authorities found six bodies at the Dome and four at Convention Center. Here's the investigation.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:01 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

'Realism' from U.S. CENTCOM

Today Helena Cobban at Just World News published a comparative post headlined "Realism from the generals (and the ICG)". She takes a look back at suggestions she made in April 2005 regarding Iraq and compares them to suggestions being made by "the generals who head US Centcom (U.S. Central Command). Here's a link.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

A Look at 'De-Baathification Statistics'

Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment has a translation of an Al-Hayat article on "De-Baathification Statistics." According to Al-Hayat:

Ali al-Lami, member of the De-Baathification Commission, told Al-Hayat that the number of Baathists that were affected by De-Baathification does not exceed 100,000 leading members out of 1 million Baathist in Iraq, of whom 80% were members of the first echelon [firqa] and are entitled to get back to their positions as ordinary civil servants without holding leading positions.

According to Mr. Cole, Al-Hayat's article was translated by Gilbert Achcar, who teaches politics and international relations at the University of Paris.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:26 PM | Comments (0)

'Iraqi Tribes in Syria...'

Joshua Landis, proprietor of Syria Comment.Com told his readers today that"

Time Magazine has published a devastating article about how America has mishandled the war in Iraq.Their (sic) is a very interesting part "Mishandling the Tribes" which explains Syria's role in welcoming the Sunni tribal leaders of Iraq. I will publish an article by Abdullah Taa'i, who writes that "Because the influence the tribal sheikhs in Iraq used to enjoy has been taken from them," their counter-parts in Syria have now become much more powerful as the Iraqi tribal members look to them for succor. They are appealing to the Syrian government for help for their Iraqi confreres

. "This will move the central block of tribes towards Syria," Abdullah writes, according to Mr. Landis. For more, please see "Iraqi Tribes in Syria: "Saddam's Revenge," by Joe Kline."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

Lebanese Protest Attempt to Murder May Chidiac

Ya Libnan (O Lebanon) reported today that, "Like on March 14th [2005, when Lebanese took to the streets to demand that Syria end its 29-year occupation of Lebanon], the Lebanese were united once again. This time Lebanese of all faiths were protesting against the attempted murder of the prominent TV Anchor, May Chidiac." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

Why Was an Attempt Made on May Chidiac's Life?

The Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), the news organization for which Lebanese television news anchor May Chidiac, "who was seriously wounded" when her Range Rover blew up on September 25, 2005 when she turned the ignition, "was founded in 1985 by the anti-Syrian Lebanese Forces Party, of which Chidiac is a supporter," according to Agence France Presse (AFP).

The French wire service noted that, "The Lebanese Forces is headed by Samir Geagea, who was freed from prison in July [2005] after 11 years in custody for crimes committed during the Lebanese civil war."

Questions that come to mind about the attempt to kill Chidiac are: (1) Was the attempt made on her life related to her work? (2) Was it related to internal party politics? So far, news reports have given no conclusive answers. Here's a profile on Ms. Chidiac.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)

More Posts Later

Editor's Note: Look for more posts around 7:30 p.m. Central Standard time in the United States.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

Helena Cobban Looks at 'Iraq: The Kosovo Analogy'

Helena Cobban at the informative Just World News takes a look at "Iraq: the Kosovo Analogy." I recommend it.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:41 AM | Comments (0)

Lebanese Journalist May Chidiac Targeted for Assassination

Here are photographs and an article on Lebanese television journalist May Chidiac, whose Range Rover was bombed September 25, 2005, in Lebanon "in a Christian area, in the Jounieh/Maameltein area near the Casino Du Liban, northeast of Beirut." She survived. According to Ya Lebanon (O Lebanon), "The bomb was placed under the drivers seat.... and triggered to explode through the ignition at around 6pm."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:34 AM | Comments (0)

Lebanon Bracing for the 'Political Hurricane Season'

"It is almost the end of the Hurricane season in USA, but in Lebanon it may be just the beginning of the political hurricane season," Ya Libnan (O Lebanon) contends in a September 25, 2005 article.

For more, please see "In Lebanon it may be just the beginning of the political hurricane season."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:26 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Fewer Than Half of U.S. Citizens Believe U.S. Will Win Iraq War

CNN reported September 22, 2005 that, "A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Thursday [September 22, 2005] indicated fewer than half of Americans believe the United States will win the Iraq war, and 55 percent of those surveyed said it should speed up withdrawal plans."

I am one those. Here the CNN report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)

Saud: Iraq Bickering Could Lead to Partition

Samir Al-Saadi reports in Arab News' September 24, 2005 edition that "Saudi Arabia said yesterday [September 23, 2005] it hoped iraq's draft constitution would guarantee unity and warned that confrontational disputes may lead to the partition of the state along sectarian lines."

"Saudi Arabia... hopes that the constitution will meet the aspirations of the Iraqi people in consecrating national unity and maintaining its Arab and Muslim identity, said Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal during a news conference in Jeddah," according to Arab News. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:59 PM | Comments (0)

Questions About Saudi Foreign Minister's Comments on Iraq

During the State Department's "Daily Press Briefing" on September 23, 2005, Journalists quizzed spokesman Sean McCormack about Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Saud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud's contention that:

Iraq is a very dangerous situation and a very threatening situation.The impression is gradually going toward disintegration. There seems to be no dynamic now that is pulling the country together. All the dynamics there are pushing the (Iraqi) people away from each other.

Here, from a State Department transcript, is Mr. McCormack's exchange with journalists on the subject:

MR. MCCORMACK: Libby?

QUESTION: The Saudi Foreign Minister has expressed some concerns about Iraq, both in the papers and I think at the UN. Did he express that in the meeting with the Secretary yesterday and, you know, was that a big sort of topic of their meeting?

MR. MCCORMACK: You know, I have seen the reports of the Saudi Foreign Minister's comments and I think all I would say is that we see a situation in Iraq in which the Iraqi people at every opportunity have chosen to pull together in the political process. There are those that are outside the political process -- terrorists and insurgents. But the vast, vast majority of Iraqis at every point along the continuum, if you go back to discussions in the run-up to approval of the Transitional Administrative Law, all the way through the transfer of sovereignty through the elections on January 30th and through the drafting of the constitution, you've seen the Iraqi people in the political process pull together and come together.

We fully support a unified Iraq. An Iraq that is free, an Iraq that is stable and peaceful and that is what we are working with the Iraqi Government to try to achieve.
There are, you know, again, there are those that are outside the political process and some that will never try to enter the political process and you have to deal with those individuals through force of arms. And we are working with the Iraqi people to train up their security forces to address those individuals. But what we have seen over time is more and more, including in the Sunni community, decide that their future lay in resolving any disagreements they may have through a peaceful political process.

QUESTION: What was the Secretary's reaction though to hearing that come from the Saudi Foreign Minister?

MR. MCCORMACK: Yeah, I'm not going to get into their meeting and whatever diplomatic exchanges they had.

MR. MCCORMACK: I think our reaction is to just outline how we see the situation.

QUESTION: The Foreign Minister shares the goal of unity. He told the Associated Press in a long interview yesterday that he's worried about the harm, as he put it, that might come, the country splitting apart into three parts. He's questioning the effectiveness of what you're doing. He's not questioning the goals. So I guess the question still is, did he question that in talking to the Secretary?

MR. MCCORMACK: Again, Barry, I've seen these remarks. I've seen the interview that he gave to your news organization. And I would only say that what I have done is describe how we see the situation. And what we just -- I'll give you a concrete example -- in just since the January elections, we have seen more than a million Sunnis register.
So what you're -- what is that telling you? That is telling you that even though they, prior to the January 30 elections, as a community decided that they were not going to participate in the political process in those elections. But we have seen since then is a decision by more and more Iraqis that they want to participate in the political process. And what that tells me is that they, the Iraqi people, again, in the face of real challenges -- and I am not trying to undersell the difficulties that the Iraqi people face at this moment in time -- but in the face of that, what they are doing is they are pulling together in the political process. And they are coming to arrangements as to how they organize themselves politically. The relationship of the provinces to the center and a variety of other questions and I think what they deserve is our support. And I would -- one thing that we have encouraged Iraq's neighbors to do is to offer them the political and diplomatic support that the Iraqi people are asking for.

QUESTION: Is that a message to Riyadh to send an ambassador to Iraq?

MR. MCCORMACK: We have encouraged, I think, all of Iraq's neighbors to support Iraq politically and diplomatically in whatever way that they can.
Yes.

QUESTION: So did you find the Saudi Ambassador's comments unhelpful in terms of pushing -- sorry, Foreign Minister --

MR. MCCORMACK: Foreign Minister.

QUESTION: -- in pushing the process forward?

MR. MCCORMACK: I think I've addressed the issue the way that I want to.

QUESTION: Thanks.

MR. MCCORMACK: James.

QUESTION: The question was posed twice not about what our aims are in Iraq, but the question, very simply a yes-or-no question, was whether the comments reported of the Saudi official were the same or matched those that he conveyed privately to Secretary Rice.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)

Feeding 'Myths" About Foreign Fighters in Iraq

In a September 23, 2005 article headlined "The 'myth' of Iraq's foreign fighters," Tom Regan at csmonitor.com reported that, "The US and Iraqi governments have vastly overstated the number of foreign fighters in Iraq, and most of them don't come from Saudi Arabia, according to a new report from the Washington-based Center for Strategic International Studies (CSIS)." he added:

According to a piece in The Guardian, this means the US and Iraq "feed the myth" that foreign fighters are the backbone of the insurgency. While the foreign fighters may stoke the insurgency flames, they only comprise only about 4 to 10 percent of the estimated 30,000 insurgents. The CSIS study also disputes media reports that Saudis comprise the largest group of foreign fighters.

"CSIS says "Algerians are the largest group (20 percent), followed by Syrians (18 percent), Yemenis (17 percent), Sudanese (15 percent), Egyptians (13 percent), Saudis (12 percent) and those from other states (5 percent)," he wrote, nothing that "CSIS gathered the information for its study from intelligence services in the Gulf region."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:22 PM | Comments (0)

Bush Vows to Continue on Doomed and Costly Course in Iraq

During a September 22, 2005 speech at the U.S. Department of Defense (The Pentagon), President George W. Bush indicated that he will continue on the reckless and costly course he chartered in Iraq despite the fact that billions of dollars will be needed to repair damage to the U.S. Gulf Coast caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

I guess it doesn't bother him to leave trillions of dollars worth of debt for future generations. I certainly wouldn't want that to be my legacy.

Here's a White House transcript of his speech.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:04 AM | Comments (0)

Sir Ian Blair Considered Resigning Over de Menezes Execution

On September 21, 2005 Stephen Sackur of BBC News 24's Hardtalk with Stephen Sackur asked "Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair about the execution of Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, which occurred on July 22, 2005, after he was allegedly mistaken for one of the bombers that tried to detonate explosives in a London subway on July 21, 2005. Here's the Blair-Sackur exchange:

SACKUR:"The de Menezes family called upon you to resign.."

BLAIR: "Yes..."

SACKUR: "Did you ever consider it?"

BLAIR: "I certainly did. In the sense of this -- somebody makes those comments, you're not just going to brush it off. You sit there and think. But no, I don't think it was right for the organization or for the country or for the city of London for me to do that. My job was to.."

SACKUR: "How close did you come?"

BLAIR: "Oh, not very close at all because the big job is to defend this country against terrorism and that's what I'm here to do." indicated he might resign if he is heavily criticized in the inquiry into the shooting of Brazilian ."

Here's a link to the entire interview.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:48 AM | Comments (0)

Lewthwaite Says Radical Mosque Poisoned Husband's Mind

Samantha Lewthwaite, "The widow of one of the July 7 suicide bombers told how her innocent and naive husband had been poisoned by elements in radical mosques as she cradled their new born baby daughter in her arms," writes Times Online's David Sanderson in a September 23, 2005 article based on an interview Ms. Lewthwaite gave The Sun, a British newspaper.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

'London Bombers' Next Court Appearance is December 8

London bombing suspect Hussain Osman "will appear at the Old Bailey in Central London with his three alleged co-conspirators on December 8," 2005, according to The Times Online of London. He "was remanded in custody today [September 23, 2005] after his first appearance in a British court," The Times noted. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:52 AM | Comments (0)

Juan Cole's Analysis of Sistani's 'Support' for Iraqi Consitution

Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment offered an opinion why "Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani called Thursday [September 22, 2005] for Iraqis to vote "yes" on the new Iraqi constitution in the referendum on October 15, according to Reuters." Mr. Cole wrote September 23, 2005:

(The announcement does not yet appear at sistani.org). For him, the key paragraph is 2A, which insists that no law can be passed by the civil legislature that contravenes "the established laws of Islam." The constitution also foresees at least some clerics being appointed as civil judges and justices of the supreme court. He was less enthusiastic about the document's vision of a loose federalism that would allow provinces to form confederacies on ethnic grounds and keep some oil income at home rather than sending it to the central government.

"But," Mr. Cole added, "he seems to have been won over by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, which sees benefits for the Shiites of the south in a loose federalism."

For more, please see "Sistani urges Support for Constitution And for Iran."

By the way, although Professor Cole is widely criticized in some circles in the U.S. because his views don't conform to Bush Administration's vision for Iraq and the Middle East, I regard him as one of the best informed commentators on the subject. The fact that he speaks and reads Arabic and has lived in the Middle East is a big plus in his favor.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:22 AM | Comments (0)

Fuad Siniora: Emile Lahoud Should Resign

Ya Libnan (O Lebanon) reported September 22, 2005 that, "Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora said yesterday [September 21, 2005] that Lebanon's president, [Emile Lahoud] a Syrian ally, should resign following the indictment of four top intelligence and security officials in the February 14 [2005] assassination of the country's leading reformer," Rafik Hariri.

I think Lahoud would be wise to heed the advice of those asking him to resign. If he doesn't, I suspect it will be just a matter of time before he is assassinated. Of course, he could be assassinated even if he resigns. As prime minister, the man no doubt has a lot of secrets.

For more, please see "Lebanon: PM Siniora calls on President Lahoud to resign."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

As'ad: Landis 'Misses the Point, Unsurprisingly...'

As'ad Abu Khalil at The Angry Arab News Service says Joshua Landis at Syria Comment. Com "misses the point, unsurprisingly," of his criticism of Landis' Op-Ed piece in the September 17, 2005 edition of The New York Times headlined "Don't Push Syria Away."

Here's As'ad's post.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:57 AM | Comments (0)

Is the Syrian Regime Capable of Reform?

Is the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad capable of reform?

Joshua Landis at Syria Comment.Com, an Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern Studies in the History Department and the School of International and Area Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has an informative debate on the subject at his blog

Mr. Landis, an Arabic speaker, is currently living in Damascus on a year-long Fulbright Scholarship, which ends in December 2005.

For background on the debate, please see "Landis Defends: Young, Allaf, Abu Khalil Attack."

This is a good one, dear readers.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

U.N. Reportedly Will Implicate Syria in Hariri's Assassination

"UN investigators will next month directly implicate the Syrian government in the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, potentially igniting a new Middle East crisis," Guardian of London correspondents Ewen MacAskill, Rory McCarthy in Beirut and Brian Whitaker reported September 23, 2005.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:11 AM | Comments (0)

Merkel, Greens Party Fail to Coalesce

The Associated Press reported today that German "opposition leader Angela Merkel failed Friday [September 23, 2005] to persuade the Greens party to join talks on forming a coalition, closing another avenue for Germany to escape its post election stalemate." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

Writing the Obituary of 'German Conservatism'

Is Germany conservatism dead? Der Spiegel Correspondent Charles Hawley addresses that question in an article in the September 22, 2005 edition of Der Spiegel Online headlined "The Death of German Conservatism." He said:

Amid the post-election noise in Germany, one salient fact has been getting little play. German voters don't trust political parties to the right of the center. It's been a long time coming, but its time to write the obituary of German conservatism.

Here's his analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:38 AM | Comments (0)

Will Angela Merkel Flameout?

New York Times Correspondent Richard Bernstein, writing from Berlin, said, "It would be much too early to write her political obituary, but the German commentary and conversation these days is full of speculation about what could be one of the most rapid flameouts in the history of European politics." He added:

Only a few weeks ago, Angela Merkel, the preacher's daughter from the former East Germany, seemed far in the lead in the race to be Germany's new chancellor, with almost all the public opinion polls showing her conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union, 14 points or more ahead of the Social Democratic Party of her rival, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.

Bernstein added: "Merkel was so far in the lead that the press and commentators treated her almost as if she had become chancellor already - the first woman to do so in Germany's history and the first post-war chancellor from Eastern Germany."

The correspondent acknowledged that, "Merkel could yet be chancellor, and she looked relaxed and confident Thursday [September 23, 2005] as she appeared on television and went into direct negotiations with Schröder about some way to break the political deadlock." The tone of the article suggests, however, that he has his doubts.

For more, please see "News Analysis: Following the trajectory of the candidate Merkel."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:21 AM | Comments (0)

Birthler Wants New Left Party Parliamentarians Investigated

Deutsche Welle reported September 23, 2005 that, Marianne Birthler, "Germany's federal commissioner for the files of the former East German secret police," has called "for an investigation of new parliamentarians to check whether they worked for the organization."

She "already said that seven new members of parliament, all of the new Left Party, are known former members of the Stasi, the former East German secret police," Deutsche Welle noted.

"Birthler, the federal commissioner of the records of the National Security Service of the former German Democratic Republic, added that all of them should let their files be examined.," the publication said. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:02 AM | Comments (0)

Deutsche Welle Looks at Possible Political Alliances in Germany

"With general elections on September 18 producing no clear winner, political parties [in Germany] are scrambling to hold talks to form a future government," Deutsche Welle reported September 23, 2005. The publication added:

Among the possible constellations, the so-called "grand coalition" between the two main parties, the Social Democrats (SPD) and the Christian Democrats (CDU), is seen as a serious option. The others include an alliance between the CDU, their preferred coalition partners, the free-market liberal FDP and the Greens, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's junior coalition partner in the government for the past seven years. The third likely combination includes the SPD, the FDP and the Greens.

Deutsche Welle said, "Whichever constellation finally comes to power, it will face battleground areas like labor market reform, as well as possible points of compromise like foreign policy." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:37 AM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Der Spiegel: 'How Germany's East Abandoned Angie'

Der Spiegel Online, in an informative analysis on Angela Merkel's presidential bid in last Sunday's elections in Germany, said "Nobody was surprised that the Left Party did well in former East Germany."

"But how did the Christian Democrats do so poorly?" the publication asked, noting that, "Their lead candidate Angela Merkel, after all, grew up in the formerly communist region. Now, the party of reunfication is just the third strongest in Germany's East."

For more, see "How Germany's East Abandoned Angie."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)

AP: British Forces Reduce Presence in Basra

"British troops in the tense southern city of Basra greatly reduced their presence in the streets Thursday, [September 22, 2005] apparently responding to a call from the provincial governor to sever cooperation until London apologized for storming a police station to free two of its soldiers," according to Thomas Wagner of The Associated Press.

That's the right thing to do. The next step should be to leave Iraq. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:19 AM | Comments (0)

'Murder, Violence and Politics': What Does Britain Expect in Basra?

Times Online Correspondent Anthony Loyd, writing from Basra, Iraq, writes as if he's taking part in psy-ops campaign on behalf of the British Government. While the things he mentions in "Murder, violence and politics: how rogue police can live outside law," might have some merit, it is obvious that he is an angry European with a how dare these Shias defy us attitude.

Loyd seems to forget that Britain, along with the U.S., is a foreign occupier in Iraq. The Christian powers disturbed the social fabric in Iraq with their March 2003 invasion.

He also should know that sooner-or-later, the occupied will get tired of you despite your benevolence. They will challenge your authority, which comes primarily from the muzzle of a gun, and there is nothing you can do about it except withdraw or face the constant threat of death. Your choice, Britain. Let the Iraqis solve their own problems.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

'Counter-Declaration' Clears Hurdle for EU Entry Talks With Turkey

Mark Beunderman at EUObserver.com reported September 22, 2005 that, European Union (EU) "member states on Wednesday (21 September) officially endorsed a hotly contested EU counter statement against Turkey's non-recognition of Cyprus--helping to pave the way for entry talks with Ankara [Turkey] to start on 3 October." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:27 AM | Comments (0)

Yuri Yekhanurov is Ukraine's New Prime Minister

MosNews.com., citing a report in RIA Novosti, said the Ukrainian Supreme Rada (parliament) today approved "Yuri Yekhanurov as Prime Minister after [President] Viktor Yushchenko nominated him for the second time." Here's the report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:19 AM | Comments (0)

Kyiv Post Likens Ukraine's Political Crisis to a Circus

The Kyiv Post opined in a September 22, 2005 editorial that,

The latest indication that Ukraine's political culture is again a shambles was parliaments Sept. 20 failure by a mere five votes to confirm Yuriy Yekhanurov, the popular Dnipropetrovsk governor who's a long-time ally of President Viktor Yushchenko, as prime minister.

Thus did the legislature fail to put an end to the all-enveloping circus that's distracting the ruling class of this still-backwards country from doing the important things it needs to do.The publication said, "The backstabbing, the jockeying, the maneuvering, the politicking for the foreseeable future, its all going to continue, and just become more intense."

It certainly seems that way. Read the entire editorial here

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:06 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Basra Leaders Vow to Stop Dealing With British Occupiers

James Kirkup of Scotsman.Com reported September 22, 2005 that "Basra [Iraq] city authorities last night declared they would no longer co-operate with British forces in southern Iraq, as the row caused by Monday's [September 19, 2005] confrontation between UK troops and Iraqi police escalated." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:58 PM | Comments (0)

Iraq's Jaafari Off to London to Placate Blair

Philippe Naughton of the Times Online reports that, "Ibrahim Jaafari, the Iraqi Prime Minister, will visit London today for urgent talks on the growing unrest facing British forces in southern Iraq."

Why isn't Tony Blair visiting southern Iraq? He's the invader and occupier. Oh, that's right, the weaker partner goes to the stronger, which is Blair, for now. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:21 AM | Comments (0)

British Want to Root Out 'Rogue Elements' in Basra Police Force

Colonel Bill Dunham, "the head of the multi-national force in Basra," has said "Rogue elements" in Iraq's police force must be rooted out, according to the BBC.

That's not going to happen, colonel, at least not anytime soon unless you're planning to replace every Shiite on the police force. If you do that, you will created more guerilla fighters. Maybe that's what you want. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:45 AM | Comments (0)

Blair Under New Pressure to Pull Troops Out of Iraq

Kim Sengupta and Colin Brown of The Independent of Britain reported September 21, 2005 that, "British forces in Iraq face increased "ferocity of terrorism" as the country heads into the most crucial stage in its political process, the Defence Secretary John Reid said."

The paper said Reid's "warning came as [British Prime Minister] Tony Blair was under renewed pressure yesterday to set a deadline for withdrawing troops in the wake of British forces' clashes with Iraqi police in Basra." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:32 AM | Comments (0)

The Blair Spin Machine and the Basra Troop 'Rescue'

The Times Online , in a September 21, 2005 article headlined "Police station raid was diversion as SAS squad rescued comrades," reported that, the two undercover British soldiers British special forces forcibly took from Iraqi policemen in Basra September 20 "are believed to have been investigating a corrupt police unit in Basra who were colluding with Shia militia leaders. Some of the men who later interrogated them are believed to be part of this same unit."

The attack on the Iraqi jail in Basra was just a diversion.

If British Prime Minister Tony Blair would call his troops home he wouldn't have to worry about them being captured for spying. You are occupying a foreign country, Tony. And you are doing so under false pretenses and as a favor to U.S. President George W. Bush. I suspect your troops will have more trouble in Basra as result of your hubris. In fact, you should expect as nationalist and religious forces in Iraq continue to flex their muscles.

For a look at the Blair Administration's propaganda ploy, to cover the actions of British troops, see "SAS stormed prison to save soldiers from execution." It must be wonderful to be European and think you have a right to do anything you want in a foreign country, especially a predominantly Muslim country.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:25 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2005

'Dealing with America: The UN, the US and Australia'

John Langmore, "President of the United Nations Association of Australia, and a senior UN official in the New York Headquarters from 1997 to 2003," has a 100 page book out today titled "Dealing with America: The UN, the US and Australia."

He was interviewed September 20, 2005 by Eleanor Hall, host of "The World Today's lunch hour of current affairs, with background and debate from Australia and the world" on "ABC Local Radio and Radio National."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:41 AM | Comments (0)

Sri Lanka Elections Set for November 17, 2005

The Asian Tribune reported September 20, 2005 that, "Sri Lanka will elect a new executive president on November 17," 2005.

"This was announced by the commissioner of elections this afternoon," the publication said, noting that, "Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the poll must be held this year - ending months of controversy over when President Chandrika Kumaratunga's second term ends." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:29 AM | Comments (0)

Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference Underway in Singapore

"The 21st Asia-Pacific Petroleum Conference (APPEC) opened in Singapore on Monday evening [September 19, 2005] with the theme of "High oil prices: fundamentals versus financials," according to People's Daily Online.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:23 AM | Comments (0)

Asian Oil Refining Margins Reportedly Up Thanks to Katrina

"Asian oil refining margins have surged since Hurricane Katrina disrupted refinery operations and created fuel shortages in the United States, drawing shipments from Asia and Europe," according to a Bloomberg News article in the International Herald Tribune. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:15 AM | Comments (0)

'Africa And the Neocolonial Development Mirage'

Mwalimu George Ngwane notes in an article in The Post Newsline. Com of Cameroon that, "The United Nations Summit of September 14-16, [2005] in New York, has ended without the agenda of Africa's development occupying central debate." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:08 AM | Comments (0)

Women Political Leaders in Africa, Middle East to Meet in Kuwait

"More than 50 women from across the Middle East and North Africa will gather in Kuwait from September 25-28 [2005] for the fourth Partners in Participation Regional Campaign School," according to AME Info. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:00 AM | Comments (0)

Africa, China 'to Enhance Cooperation in Consular Affairs'

"China and African countries need to enhance cooperation in consular affairs, said Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Shen Guofang here Monday," September 19, 2005, reports Xinhua, the official Chinese News Agency.

The agency said, "Shen said in a China-Africa seminar on consular affairs that China and Africa, in recent years, have enjoyed growing cooperation, frequent personnel exchanges, and rapid development in consular relations."

"China has established nine consular agencies in six African countries, namely, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Tanzania, Cameroon and Madagascar," Xinhua reported, adding: "African countries set up more than 30 consular and honorary consular agencies on the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, Shen noted."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:54 AM | Comments (0)

Military AIDs Reportedly Widespread in Africa

"Across Africa, hospital wards are filling with military casualties," according to an Associated Press report in USA Today. "The cause: not another African conflict but AIDS."

Militaries are thought to be one of the conduits for the spread of AIDs in Africa. For more see, "U.S. works with South Africa to fight military AIDS."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:46 AM | Comments (0)

How Realistic is PetroCaribe?

Lloyd Noel, described by Caribbean Net News as "a former Attorney General of Grenada, prominent attorney at law and political commentator," has an informative article at Caribbean Net News headlined: "Law and Politics: How realistic is PetroCaribe and when?

It's a commentary on the September 7, 2005, bilateral agreements that President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela signed in Montego Bay in Jamaica, with ten CARICOM States.

The oil deal is called "PetroCaribe." Here is the text of the agreement signed at the Fist PetroCaribe Summit in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela, in July 2005.

Here is CARICOM's statement on the Second PetroCaribe Summit. Some Caribbean nations did not sign the agreements.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:39 AM | Comments (0)

ACP Nations May Not Get Sweet Deal on Sugar Prices

Prensa Latina, the Latin American News Agency, reported September 17, 2005, that, the 18-member African, Caribbean, Pacific group (ACP) of sugar producing countries

could see their sugar export earnings fall by as much as 400 million euros a year and receive only 40 million euros as compensation for their losses, once the EU (European Union) applies its plan to reduce sugar minimum prices and production by around 40 per cent.

"The former European colonies have warned that the EU plans to modify the sugar and banana regimes will mean a catastrophe for their peoples and economies," Prensa Latina said.

Talks between the ACP and the EU got underway September 19, 2005 in Brussels, Belgium.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:10 AM | Comments (0)

Boniface Alexandre's Optimism on Hati's November 6 Elections

Haiti's interim president, Boniface Alexandre, was quoted by The Associated Press on September 19, 2005, as saying Haiti's November 6, 2005 elections "will be completely inclusive, all sectors and all political parties will be included in the vote."

"I continue to be hopeful that the election campaign will take place in a peaceful climate," he said. "For months now the country has been living in a climate bordering on chaos. Armed gangs have been holding a number of parts of the capital hostage."

I think Mr. Alexandre is a too optimistic. Haiti doesn't have a history of peaceful elections and governance. See "Interim Haiti Leader Seeks Peaceful Vote."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:42 AM | Comments (0)

Does Katrina Provide Opportunity for the Caribbean?

Former Caribbean Diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders, a business executive who is considered an authority on "small states in the global community," noted in a September 20, 2005 article in Caribbean Net News that:

No Head of Government in the Caribbean could make the declaration that President Bush did. Caribbean leaders would know that their governments simply do not have the resources to rebuild their countries in this way.

What is more, they would not have access to outside resources for grants or borrowing that would permit them to rebuild quickly.
And, in a nutshell, that is the problem that Caribbean countries have been facing since the 1990s when Hurricanes have plagued the region in higher numbers and greater intensity.

But, if he sticks to his word, Mr Bush will have rebuilt the Gulf States in short order, underscoring the huge difference between developed countries like the US and small states in the Caribbean. With the best will in the world, Caribbean countries could never rebuild their countries to recover what they have lost. Mr. Sanders, author of "Crumbled Small," which contends that, "The Commonwealth Caribbean in World Politics reflects both the small size of the independent states that comprises the Commonwealth Caribbean, and the fact that it is only crumbs from the table of the rich and powerful nations in the world economy that fall to this Region," noted that:

Over the years between 1995 and 2004, hurricane damage in the Caribbean has run into billions of dollars, making the region poorer, setting back the economies of these countries and creating other untold problems such as migration of badly-needed trained workers who lost employment, and relocation of some companies.

For more of Mr. Sander's analysis, see "Katrina provides opportunity for the Caribbean."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:26 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2005

My Africa Blog Makes Its Debut

Quentin Reade at Web User reports that, "The BBC has launched a new site that hopes to bring together Africans in the continent and Africans in the UK through online diaries and photo galleries."

The site is called 'My Africa.' "At the heart are the voices of diarists who share their personal experiences through their blogs," he wrote. Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)

September 16, 2005

Will Bush's Friends Rake in Billions From Gulf Coast Rebuilding?

During his September 15, 2005 address to the citizens of the United States about rebuilding New Orleans and the rest of the U.S. Gulf Coast destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, U.S. President George W. Bush proposed "the creation of a Gulf Opportunity Zone, encompassing the region of the disaster in Louisiana and Mississippi and Alabama." He explained:

Within this zone, we should provide immediate incentives for job-creating investment, tax relief for small businesses, incentives to companies that create jobs, and loans and loan guarantees for small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises, to get them up and running again. It is entrepreneurship that creates jobs and opportunity; it is entrepreneurship that helps break the cycle of poverty; and we will take the side of entrepreneurs as they lead the economic revival of the Gulf region.

I propose the creation of Worker Recovery Accounts to help those evacuees who need extra help finding work. Under this plan, the federal government would provide accounts of up to $5,000, which these evacuees could draw upon for job training and education to help them get a good job, and for child care expenses during their job search.

And to help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity. Home ownership is one of the great strengths of any community, and it must be a central part of our vision for the revival of this region.Although Mr. Bush assured the nation that the region's poor will not be left out of the economic boom that will result from the rebuilding process, my guess is that Mr. Bush and U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney's wealthy friends and election campaign contributors will reap most of the billions we, the taxpayers, will spend to rebuild the Gulf Coast. They benefitted from the Iraq war as if the war was started just for that purpose, and they will benefit here too.

Indeed, so-called minority contractors will get something. But overall, this is a fat cat's game.

Editor's note: This article is cross-posted at The National Political Observer.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:23 AM | Comments (0)

Bush's September 15 Speech on Rebuilding the U.S. Gulf Coast

U.S. President George W. Bush offered great ideas in his September 15, 2005 speech to the American people from News Orleans, Louisiana, USA. As I listened to him offer ideas for rebuilding the U.S. Gulf Coast and New Orleans, the city that has become a symbol of shame and embarrassment for him because he didn't do anything significant to help the people evacuate and get food and water until four days after Hurricane Katrina passed, I found myself saying:

You should have done this from New Orleans the day after the Hurricane, Mr. President. If you had, you wouldn't be wasting your time tonight trying to score political points with the American people, who've been rightly critical of you for your slow response to calls for help to evacuate helpless Americans from the Super Dome and the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, as flood waters, criminals and other dangers raged around them.

I doubt Hip Hop Superstar Kanye West would have said you didn't care about black people if you had initially stopped in New Orleans instead of flying over the city as people suffered on the ground. You would have come off as compassionate and willing to help Americans as much as you say you are helping Iraqis.

But that's in the immediate past but not forgotten. It's stored away until the next election. The question now is: Will you keep the promises outlined in your speech and not let New Orleans' poor get shafted again as billions of dollars pour into the city for your laudable rebuilding efforts? Here's a White House transcript of the speech.

Editor's note: This item is cross-posted at The Opinion Gazette and The National Political Observer.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:40 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Iraq's Justice Minister Condemns U.S. Detention of Iraqis

iraq's justice minister, Abdul Hussein Shandal, "has condemned the US military for detaining thousands of Iraqis for long periods without charge and wants to change a UN resolution that gives foreign troops immunity from Iraqi law," reports the Reuters wire service.

The news agency said the justice minister told "also criticized US detentions of Iraqi journalists and said the media, contrary to US policy in Iraq, must have special legal protection to report on all sides in the conflict." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

Yemen Recalls 38 Diplomats

Khaled Al-Mahdi of Arab News reported September 15, 2005 that, "Yemen has recalled 38 diplomats working in its foreign missions as part of a move aimed to reform the country's diplomatic representation and boost its image abroad." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:29 AM | Comments (0)

Juan Cole: Sistani Says There'll Be No Reprisals Against Sunnis

Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment noted today, September 15, 2005, that, "Sunni Iraqi religious leaders condemned the attacks [on September 14, 2005 on Shiites in Baghdad that resulted in about 160 dead and hundreds wounded] though often in ways that struck me as a little self-indulgent." He added:

The head of the Sunni Pious Endowments Board, Ahmad Abd al-Ghafur al-Samarra'i, said that it was horrible what happened to the Shiites, but said that Sunnis were also being killed, by persons in police uniforms, and he hoped it wouldn't be Sunni mosques that suffered for it. The Association of Muslim Scholars blamed the bombings on the presence of US troops in Iraq. Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani strictly forbade reprisals by Shiites, saying, "If half of Iraq's Shiites were killed, it would not lead to a sectarian war."

Mr. Cole said, "Sistani is keenly aware that the guerrilla strategy is to sucker the Shiites into attacking Sunni Arabs on a large scale, producing a civil war that would destabilize Iraq and give the Sunni guerrillas an open for making a coup and taking over." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2005

Why Would Al-Qaida Add Shiites to its Enemies List?

In a September 14, 2005 report on the "ambushes and at least 11 suicide car bombings Wednesday [September 14, 2005]" in Iraq that "killed about 150 people and wounded hundreds," The New York Times said "Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq purportedly declared all-out war on Shiite Muslims, Iraqi troops and the government in an audiotape released Wednesday on an Internet site known for carrying extremist Islamist content, The Associated Press reported from Cairo.

Question: Why would Al-Qaida in Iraq seek a war with Shiites while fighting U.S. occupation forces and their Western and Iraqi allies? This doesn't make sense.

Is the information accurate? Did Al-Qaida make the announcement or Is it part of a Psy-Ops campaign? Just asking.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

Slugger O'Toole Has Good Coverage of Orange Order Riots

The Irish blog Slugger O'Toole has good coverage on the riots in Belfast reportedly sparked by the Orange Order parades. The Orange Order blames the police for the troubles.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:19 PM | Comments (0)

Britain Says Ulster Volunteer Force has Abandoned Truce

"A major outlawed Protestant group in Northern Ireland has abandoned its 11-year-old truce and is an enemy of the peace once again, Britain declared Wednesday [September 14, 2005] in a long-expected verdict against the Ulster Volunteer Force," according to an Associated Press article in the International Herald Tribune. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Is Germany Heading For a Political Stalemate?

In a dispatch from Berlin, The Times Online's Roger Boyes said, "Germany is heading for a damaging political stalemate, with opinion polls suggesting the outcome of Sunday's [September 18, 2005] general election is desperately close." Here's his analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)

'Unity Report Highlights Progress, Problems' in Eastern Germany

Deutsche Welle reported September 14, 2005 that, "A carefully timed report ahead of Sunday's elections [in Germany] praised the progress made in eastern Germany under [Chancellor Gerhard] Schröder's leadership, despite the glaring economic disparity between both halves of the country." Here's more on the subject.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:26 PM | Comments (0)

NATO Says Afghan Reconstruction Teams at Full Capacity

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said today that, "All four NATO-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams in the West of Afghanistan have now reached full operational capability, completing the expansion of NATO's presence to the West of the country." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

Three NATO Allies Reject U.S. Call to Play Bigger Role in Afghanistan

"France, Germany and Spain yesterday [September 14, 2005] rejected American calls for its NATO allies to help fight insurgents in Afghanistan, insisting they should limit themselves to a peacekeeping role in the country," according to The Guardian of London. Here's more.

Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle reports that NATO is "close to expanding" its Afghan Force.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:05 PM | Comments (0)

Some World Opinion on the U.S. Evacuation of New Orleans

As the U.S. Department of State notes on its Press and Public Affairs web page, "each business day," State's "Office of Research produces an Issue Focus of foreign media commentary on a major foreign policy issue or related event." An issue that has gotten considerable attention in the international press is the Bush Administration's slow response in evacuating New Orleans in the aftermath of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

The views are definitely worth reading.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)

The State Department's September 14, 2005 Press Briefing

If you are interested in the U.S. Department of State's Daily Press Briefing, here's the September 14, 2005 briefing delivered by deputy spokesman Adam Ereli.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:42 PM | Comments (0)

Bush Addresses UN High-Level Plenary Meeting

On September 14, 2005, U.S. President George W. Bush addressed the UN High-Level Plenary Meeting. Here's a White House transcript of that address.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)

Bush's Address to the United Nations Security Council

Here is a White House transcript of U.S. President George W. Bush's September 14, 2005, "address to the United Nations Security Council.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:27 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2005

Tymoshenko Plans to Seek Ukranian Presidency

"Dismissed Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko is going to run for a seat in parliament and for the country's presidency separately from her Orange Revolution ally Viktor Yushchenko, she said in an interview with Russian daily Kommersant," MosNews.Com noted in a September 13, 2005 report.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

Norwegians Choose Red-Green Alliance Over Centrists

EU Observer.Com reported today that, "The Norwegian centre-right government lost yesterday's [September 12, 2005] general elections, paving the way for a take-over of power by a red-green alliance."The populist Progress Party came (in) second," according to the Observer.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:25 AM | Comments (0)

Bush: New Orleans Needs to Control Recovery

James Varney and Bruce Nolan, staff writers for the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which has not missed an issue since the Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States causing extensive loss of life and proproperty, reported September 13, 2005, that:

President [George W.] Bush got his boots on the ground of New Orleans on Monday, touring some still waterlogged areas in the 7th Ward and Mid-City before conducting an ad-hoc press conference under the elevated Interstate 10 at Cleveland and South Claiborne avenues.

Flanked by Mayor Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco, Bush said the federal government is prepared to offer whatever assistance Louisiana's leaders require but that the design and implementation of the Hurricane Katrina recovery plan would be led locally.

"This great city has ample talent and ample genius to set the strategy, to set the vision," Bush said at Cleveland and South Claiborne avenues, a spot that until late last week was still under water and where the smell of the septic glop now coating much of New Orleans was noticeable.

"My attitude is this," he said. "The people of New Orleans can design the vision. They can lay out what New Orleans ought to look like in the future, and the federal government can help."
The Time-Picayune said, "Bush deflected criticism of both the federal government's response to Katrina, which has been widely excoriated for its dawdling pace, and notions that the strain the ongoing war in Iraq has put on the armed forces somehow made them inadequate to handle the nation's worst natural disaster.

"In addition," the paper said, "he said the view that race played a role in Katrina's destructive path or its aftermath was faulty."The storm didn't discriminate, and neither will the recovery effort," he said."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

Dr. Demarche: 'No Evidence of Racism' in Response to New Orleans

On September 12, 2005, Dr. Demarche at The Daily Demarche noted that,

"Slate.com today ran a piece by Richard Haass entitled "Storm Warning: How the Flood Compromises U.S. Foreign Policy." Haass is an excellent source for just such a piece- he is the President of the Council on Foreign Relations and former Director of Policy Planning for the Department of State. He can be presumed to know what he is talking about.It is unfortunate, then, to see a piece from him that is clearly produced to garner media attention, and to reinforce the ideas it pretends to debunk.

Dr. Demarche said, "This line alone smacks of hypocrisy: The dominant overseas reaction has been sympathy mixed with shock and horror at what was seen by many as evidence of racism and a reminder of the extreme poverty in which many Americans live."

Read why he takes issue with Haass' analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:56 AM | Comments (0)

Helena Cobban: 'Gaza Relieved (if not yet free)'

Helena Cobban at Just World News wrote on September 12, 2005:

"I can just imagine the elation for the 1.3 million Palestinians in Gaza that the vast majority of their terrain has now been evacuated by the Israeli military. Fabulous! Now a Gazan person can do such radical things as travel the length of the Strip without having to pass through any IOF checkpoints or stroll on that large portion of the beach from which previously they all were banned.

Cobban added: "From this description of today's developments by AP's Ravi Nessman and Mariam Fam, it seems as if Gazans have even be able to cross freely into the Strip from the Egyptian side of the border, which is interesting and significant." Read why.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:38 AM | Comments (0)

What's Really Going on at Tal Afar?

Professor Juan Cole at the influential Informed Comment sees the ballyhooed Tal Afar campaign in Iraq as an "Ethnic Civil War," while "much of the American press has reported the Tal Afar campaign as a strike by the new Iraqi Army, supported by US troops, against foreign infiltrators in the largely Turkmen city of 200,000." He wrote in a September 13, 2005 post:

As Jonathan Finer makes clear in the Washington Post, however, the operation looks different if we know some details. The "Iraqi Army" leading the assault turns out to be mainly the Peshmerga or Kurdish ethnic militia. Along for the ride are local Turkmen Shiites who are being used as informers and for the purpose of identifying Sunni Turkmen they think are involved in the guerrilla movement (apparently they sometimes make false charge to settle scores). Tal Afar was 70 percent Sunni Turkmen and 30 percent Shiite Turkmen. The Sunni Turkmen had thrown in with Saddam, and some more recently had turned to radical Islam.

Mr. Cole said, "The Shiite Turkmen lived in fear of their lives. So Kurds and Shiites are beating up on Sunni Turkmen allies of Sunni Arabs. That is what is really going on."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:10 AM | Comments (0)

'How to Solve Syria's Border Problem with Iraq'

Joshua Landis at Syria Comment.com has an insightful article sent to him "by Abdullah Taa'i, a resident of Abu Kamal, a large Syrian town situated on the Eurphrates on the border with Iraq and on the main highway connecting the Governorate of Deir az-Zur to eastern Iraq."

The writer, whose article is headlined "How to Solve Syria's Border Problem with Iraq, "explains why many residents of the town supports the Iraqi resistance and the Sunni tribes in Iraq.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:59 AM | Comments (0)

September 12, 2005

Orange Order Claims Shock" at Criticism After Belfast Disturbance

Angelique Chrisafis, Ireland correspondent for The Guardian of London, reported in a September 12, 2005, dispatch that

"Armed loyalists set up roadblocks in Belfast last night in a second night of fierce rioting. With police and the army involved in pitched battles with mobs of loyalists up to 700-strong in the east of the city and renewed rioting at several other flashpoints, men with revolvers stopped cars in north Belfast and Rathcoole.

Chrisafis also said, "With the debris of Saturday [September 10, 2005] night's "orgy of violence" still carpeting the streets and more cars and lorries being added to the wrecks of those burned out earlier, some areas had effectively been turned into no-go areas for security forces." Here's more. Ireland Online, in an article headlined "Clashes at Orange Order parade in Belfast," reported September 10, 2005, that, "Police and army officers" came "under a sustained barrage of petrol bombs in West Belfast as Orange Order marchers pass[ed] by the Springfield Road. The Orange Order, "the largest Protestant organization in Northern Ireland with at least 75,000 members, some of them in the Republic of Ireland, according to the BBC, has come under stinging criticism because things got underhand during the parade. For example, the Daily Telegraph in Britain stated in a September 12, 2005 editorial headlined "Orange Order needs to take a different route,"

From the outset, their violence has tended to be imitative and reactionary. They dimly perceive that the republicans have got to where they are through force of arms rather than force of argument, and half-believe that the same will work for them. They have watched in alarm as the Government has made a series of unilateral concessions to the IRA, most recently disbanding Army battalions and, in their frustration, they want to lash out. In any case, like mafiosi everywhere, they loathe the police - a feeling which, whatever Irish nationalists believe, is heartily reciprocated.

Also, Belfast Telegraph correspondent Clare Weir reported on September 12, 2005 that, Sir Hugh Stephen Orde , the Chief Constable for Northern Ireland, "has blamed the Orange Order for some of the most dangerous riots ever to take place in the UK." Weir noted that:

The Chief Constable said said that the Whiterock parade on Saturday became "illegal" on many levels and was the "catalyst" for the violent scenes on the streets of Belfast and several towns in County Antrim. "He also said that he had seen footage of Orangemen attacking police with ceremonial artefacts." "The catalyst for this violence was the march and the Orange Order have to take responsibility," he said. "On July 12 I laid the blame on republican rioters and I actually congratulated the Orange Order on its restraint. I am doing no more, no less on this occasion." The Chief Constable paid tribute to some political representatives for preventing the initial trouble from escalating. "I did not call people to come out onto the streets," he said. "Our job was to police the determination of the Parades Commission and the determination was breached, root and branch. "Supporters tried to follow the bandsmen through and, were it not for the actions of Nigel Dodds and Fred Cobain, the situation could have been much worse.

Correspondent Weir said, "Yesterday, Grand Master of the Orange Order Robert Saulters said that he had not been aware of any attacks on police from Orangemen." In a followup article, Weir reported that, Orange Order officials last night [September 11, 2005] said they were "staggered" by the stinging criticism of the Chief Constable after the violence which followed the Whiterock parade." "The Order said it would be carrying out its own investigation into weekend rioting and would not be engaging in "tit-for-tat arguments in the media". "A spokeswoman said: "That is not the way to evaluate the situation. We are collecting evidence and will provide our own evaluation at an appropriate time." Weir said, "Meanwhile an Orangeman and Policing Board member has said "everyone is to blame" for the weekend disturbances which wreaked havoc and destruction in Belfast."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:53 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Why Sri Lankan President Criticized Her Prime Minister

Reuters reports that "Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga criticized her prime minister on Saturday [September 10, 2005] for forging a pact with hardline Marxists, exposing a rift analysts said could cost him votes in upcoming presidential election."

"In an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper," the wire service said, "Kumaratunga slammed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa - her ruling party's presidential candidate - for violating party policy. She also accused him of keeping her in the dark about negotiations with the Marxist Peoples Liberation Front (JVP), saying Rajapaksa only informed her about the deal an hour before it was signed. "

"That is not the way to inform the president of the country about the pact," the newspaper quoted her as saying in a telephone interview, according to Reuters.

Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:08 PM | Comments (0)

Junichiro Koizum is the Man Most Japanese Want as Their Leader

The September 11, 2005 elections in Japan were viewed with great interest by news outlets in Asia and abroad. Here is a sample of opinion in some Asian publications:

The Japan Times notes in its September 12, 2005 issue that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and his Liberal Democratic Party cruised to victory Sunday, September 11, 2005, handily winning a majority in the 480-seat House of Representatives and giving him a mandate to push ahead with postal privatization."

Mainichi Daily News, in a September 12, 2005 article headlined "Koizumi's election triumph means continuity in Japan's foreign policy," said,

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi promised reform on his way to victory in parliamentary elections, but there are some things he probably won't change: Japan's rocky relations with its Asian neighbors and its tight ties with the United States.

Xinhua, the official Chinese News Agency told its readers that, "Japan's opposition parties failed to conjure up an approach that could topple Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi in Sunday's general election, upstaged by Koizumi's so-called "magic" campaign strategy."

The News service said, "Katsuya Okada, who heads the largest opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), tendered his resignation, saying on a NHK TV broadcast, "It's natural for leaders to take responsibility for failing to achieve the goal they set."

During the election campaign, Okada repeatedly said he would quit if his party failed to take power," Xinhua added.

"I apologize to DPJ members and their supporters for failing to be able to take power," Okada said on the broadcast, Xinhua reported.

The Malaysia Star carried an article by Reuters correspondent Elaine Lies that said, "Once again fighting alone against high odds, Japan's maverick Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi led his party to an overwhelming election victory on Sunday as the greatest gamble of his political career paid off."

South Korea's Chosum Ilbo says,

Koizumi's landslide victory can be seen as a reaffirmation of public support for his reforms, chiefly the privatization of the mammoth postal system, the direct issue over which he dissolved parliament. Since coming to power, Koizumi has tackled the weakness of Japans financial institutions, something experts had called a potential trigger for a world financial panic, and now it looks as though he will achieve his long-cherished ambition of reforming the postal system.

The plan calls for the dinosaur Japan Post, which commands some 24,000 post offices and looks after 360 trillion yen in postal savings, to be privatized over the next few years. Under a holding company, it would be broken up into four companies -- postal services, counter operations, savings and insurance.

Chosum Ilbo said, "The savings and insurance parts would be completely privatized by 2017."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:48 PM | Comments (0)

September 10, 2005

Setting the Record Straight on Governor Blanco and Katrina

The Belgravia Dispatch has an interesting debate on proprietor Gregory Djerejian's post headlined "More Thoughts On Katrina." In it, he claimed that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco "was simply too slow to declare a national emergency and dithered underwhelmingly in terms of attempting to secure more help for her state" as Hurricane Katrina approached.

Mr. Djerejian was wrong. She did declare a state of emergency in a timely manner.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:24 PM | Comments (0)

Comments on Drezner's 'Post-Katrina American Foreign Policy

On September 4, 2005, blogger and University of Chicago Assistant Political Science Professor Daniel W. Drezner discussed "Post-Katrina American foreign policy." The post produced thought-provoking comments from some of his readers. They are worth reading.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)

Foreign Notes Heard Conciliatory Note From Tymoshenko

Attorney Scott Clark, an American "consultant working for UkraineConsult.com in Kiev," and proprietor of Foreign Notes, offers interesting news and views on the Tymoshenko/Yushchenko political spat in the Ukraine.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:55 PM | Comments (0)

Neeka's Backlog and Tymoshenko's Press Conference

Veronica Khokhlova at the always informative Neeka's Backlog has commented on former Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's September 9, 2005 press conference, at which she announced her opposition to President Viktor Yushchenko. He fired her on September 8, 2005.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)

Orange Ukraine Examines Yushchenko government's Failure

Dan McMinn at the Orange Ukraine blog has great commentary on the "massive failure of the Yushchenko government."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:32 PM | Comments (0)

Can Tymoshenko Be Forgiven By Yushchenko's Supporters?

RIA Novosti reported September 9, 2005 that, "Neither Ukrainian authorities nor the opposition are interested in the political success of dismissed Prime Minister Yuliya Tymoshenko, a senior researcher at the CIS Institute in Moscow said Friday [September 9, 2005] at a news conference.

Konstantin Zatulin, "the director of the institute and member of the Russian parliament's lower house," was quoted as saying:

Whatever their differences might be, neither Yushchenko nor Yanukovich, i.e. the current authorities and the opposition, are interested in Yuliya Tymoshenko finding a place in the sun and being a political success.

He said, " Further cooperation between Yushchenko and Tymoshenko is impossible. Yushchenko's inner circle would never forgive [her] for undoing their hero."

I agree. Too much bad blood has built up over the past few months. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:18 PM | Comments (0)

Some Ukranian Press Opinion on Tymoshenko's Dismissal

BBC Monitoring sampled Ukranian press opinion on Ukranian President Viktor Yushchenko's September 8, 2005 dismissal of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and her government.

As might be expected in Ukraine's fairly free press, views vary.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 05:08 PM | Comments (0)

Is the Orange Revolution in Turmoil?

Steven Eke, a BBC News analyst, thinks Ukranian President Viktor Yushchenko "is faced with a task considerably tougher than just putting together a new government. He needs to reinvigorate the whole Orange Revolution project, and the people charged with making it a reality," he opined in a September 8, 2005 analysis.

See "Orange Revolution in turmoil" for more of Eke's view on the Yushchenko government turmoil.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:58 PM | Comments (0)

Tymoshenko Fires Back at Yushchenko

Graeme Smith, writing from Moscow for The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Canada, noted in a September 10, 2005 dispatch that, "On the first day after Yulia Tymoshenko lost her job as prime minister of Ukraine, she gave a performance on national television that suggests she intends to win back power without the help of President Viktor Yushchenko," the man who fired her.

For more, see "Former Ukranian Prime Minister Fires Back."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)

September 09, 2005

Louisiana Officials Say They Rescued 250,000 Before US Army Arrived

New Orleans Times-Picayune reporters Jan Moller and Robert Travis Scott of the Capital Bureau reported in the paper's September 8, 2005 newsblog that,

As it became clear last week that the devastation [in Louisiana, USA} from Hurricane Katrina required far more help than state and local authorities could provide, Governor Kathleen Blanco and other state officials began pleading for more help from the federal government. But substantial active-duty U.S. Army deployments didn't arrive until a week after the storm, a fact that might turn out to be one of the enduring controversies about the state and national response to one of the deadliest and most costly events in American history.

The Times-Picayune noted that,

Earlier this week, Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who commands Joint Task Force Katrina, said search-and-rescue is the top priority for the 7,000 active-duty forces ordered to Louisiana by President Bush on Saturday [September 3, 2005].

"Yet the vast majority of the rescue effort was conducted by state and local authorities, volunteers with flat-bottomed boats that could access the narrow streets where flood victims were stranded on roofs and attics, and by the Louisiana National Guard," the publication added.

Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)

September 07, 2005

Nagin: Leave New Orleans or be Forced Out

New Orleans Mayor Clarence Ray Nagin on September 7, 2005 "ordered all remaining New Orleans residents out of the city to escape sporadic fires and the growing threat of disease from standing water contaminated by toxic chemicals and rotting corpses," according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune and other media outlets.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:28 AM | Comments (0)

Speculating over Whether Syria's al-Assad Will Visit New York

Syria Comment.Com has interesting speculation on whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with attend the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York later this month.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:21 AM | Comments (0)

Pakistan, Israel Ties Go Back Decades

Agence France Press (AFP) and other news outlets reported today that, "Pakistan and Israel engaged in secret diplomacy for decades before embarking on historic talks in Turkey last week, reports quoted Pakistan's foreign minister as saying."

AFP said, "Khurshid Kasuri was reportedly speaking after meeting his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom in Istanbul on Thursday [September 1, 2005], the first official high-level contact since the two countries were formed almost six decades ago."

Why would anyone be surprised by this? Muslim and Arab governments have long had some contacts with Israel while condemning Israel for its colonial treatment of the Palestinians. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)

Why Was Moussa Arafat Murdered?

Moussa Arafat, a cousin and former head of Public Security in the Gaza Strip for the late Palestinian National Authority president Yassir Arafat, was murdered at dawn today when "a group of 100 masked militants stormed" his home in Gaza, "dragged him out in his pajamas and killed him in the street in a burst of gunfire," according to The Times Online of London and other publications.

Here is The Times' report..

Posted by Munir Umrani at 06:41 AM | Comments (0)

September 06, 2005

Australia's U.S. Envoy Rejects Criticism Surrounding Katrina

"Australia's Ambassador to the United States, Dennis Richardson, has rejected criticism of efforts to help Australians in the US hurricane disaster," reports the Herald Sun of Australia.

"The publication said, "Opposition Leader Kim Beazley has accused the Government of turning its back on Australians in need by not insisting its officials in the US rescue them from the disaster zone."

"Some Australians have been rescued by media crews reporting on the disaster," the paper added. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)

Latin America Offers Aid to U.S. to Help With Victims of Katrina

"Latin American countries have expressed over the past days their solidarity with those affected by hurricane Katrina in the United States and offered assistance to hundreds of thousands of victims," according to People's Daily Online of China. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

Obasanjo Visits Mexico

President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria visited Mexico September 4-5, 2004. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:55 PM | Comments (0)

Lula da Silva, Obasanjo Discuss Africa-Latin America Summit

"The Presidents of Brazil and Nigeria, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Olusegun Obasanjo" respectively, discussed in Brasilia, Brazil today "the calling of an Africa-Latin American Summit and issues of bilateral and international interest," according to a September 6, 2005 report in Prensa Latina.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:49 PM | Comments (0)

'Caricom Needs a Single Marketplace for Debate, Consensus'

Former Caribbean diplomat Sir Ronald Sanders reports in the Antigua Sun that:

Some sort of Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) will come into being on 1 January 2006. It may not include all the members of the Caribbean Community and Common Market (Caricom) as was intended, but a few countries will make a start.

He said, "What is remarkable about the CSME process, which has been in discussion for over ten years, is that no public information policy was designed to accompany it until very recently, and the implementation of the information program has been left to the means of individual governments."

For more, see "Caricom needs a single marketplace for debate and consensus."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:38 PM | Comments (0)

Venezuela, 13 Caribbean Nations Hold Talks About Oil

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez met today in Montego Bay, Jamaica with officials from 13 Caribbean nations "to agree terms for supplying them with cheap oil," notes the BBC and other publications.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:26 PM | Comments (0)

The Impact Of Farm Subsidies On Third World Farmers

Godfrey Eneas, writing in the September 7, 2005 edition of The Bahama Journal, said "There is a great emphasis on improving competitiveness in Developing Countries; but the reality of the situation is that subsidies to European, American and Canadian farmers are negatively impacting Third World farmers in the global market."

"Developing countries cannot afford subsidies for their farmers like the rich economies of the Developed Countries," he concludes. Here's his analysis.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:15 PM | Comments (0)

'Africa Must Imitate China and India'

Richard Akinjide, a former Federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice in Nigeria, argued in a September 5, 2005 article in The Daily Champion of Nigeria that:

The black African governments, in their national interests, must shed their colonial mentality and embrace wholeheartedly the China and India examples in economic matters and in industrial revolution. In five years from now, China should surpass the United States as an industrial power. India is already number ten (10) industrial power in the world.

Mr. Akinjide said, "The only two (2) emerging markets in Africa are South Africa and Egypt! Nigeria is not. Yet Nigeria has enormous natural and human resources!"

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:08 PM | Comments (0)

A Continent For The Taking: A Review

The Daily Sun of Nigeria today published an informative review of New York Times Correspondent Howard French's book "A Continent For The Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa." I learned much from the review.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:52 PM | Comments (0)

Conference on Stopping Small Arms Proliferation Underway in Kampala

The East African, in its September 5-11, 2005 edition, says "Officials from the African Union, International Police (Interpol) and regional economic communities in West, South and East Africa are set to meet in Kampala, Uganda this week to devise strategies to strengthen the fight against the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW)." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:37 PM | Comments (0)

Will Sudan's ruling elite Renege on Deal to Share Power With SPLA?

Amil Khan at Reuters reported today that analysts and diplomats say "Sudan's ruling elite looks unwilling to share power with former southern rebels, despite agreeing to do so in a January peace deal to end Africa's longest civil war."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)

Chad, Sudan Pledge to Reach Peace in Darfur

The Kuwait News Agency reported September 6, 2005 that, "Sudan and Chad pledged Tuesday to reach a comprehensive peace in the Sudanese western region of Darfur before yearend." Read more here.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)

Not All Mauritanian Political Prisoners Receive Amnesty

Mauritania's justice minister, Mahfoudh Ould Bettah, says an amnesty for 115 political prisoners announced by Mauritania's new military rulers does not cover 20 Muslims "suspected of receiving training from an al Qaeda-linked group, the government said on September 3, 2005," according to Reuters Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)

How Bush Handled Katrina Aftermath is Big News in Europe

Canadian Journalist Doug Saunders contends in a September 6, 2005 article in The Globe and Mail of Toronto that, "If you want to find out how far the ripples from hurricane Katrina extend, look far beyond Louisiana and Mississippi and into the central precincts of Berlin, where the storm has now reached the high-water mark of German politics."

It's playing heavily all over Europe. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 05, 2005

Is Southern Africa A Growing Base for Muslim Fighters?

"The arrests of the two a U.S. embassy bomber and a man accused of plotting to set up a militant training camp in the United States have authorities investigating whether al-Qaeda members are using southern Africa as a base to raise funds, recruit supporters and provide logistical support for global attacks," according to The Associated Press. Here's the story.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:31 PM | Comments (0)

Muslim Nations Offer Aid to Help Katrina Victims

"Middle East friends and foes alike of the U.S. came forth over the weekend offering their condolences and humanitarian aid to victims of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast region," The Daily Star of Lebanon noted September 5, 2005. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)

NATO Sends Aid to U.S. to Help Hurricane Victims

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Center (EADRCC) is coordinating responses to the United States' September 4, 2005 request for food supplies from Allies and NATO's partners," NATO has announced.

This was followed by a request that asked for "medical and logistical supplies," among other things, to help the people of the U.S. Gulf coast left homeless and destitute by Hurricane Katrina

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

Blair Apologizes to Britons Caught Up in Katrina

British Prime Minister Tony Blair "apologized today to Britons caught up in Hurricane Katrina who have complained at being "abandoned" by the Foreign Office," reports The Guardian and other publications.

"However," The Guardian reported, " the prime minister also defended British diplomats, insisting that some had been working "round the clock" and had only managed to enter New Orleans itself overnight."

"Mr Blair spoke after the first British survivors began arriving home yesterday with horror stories about the New Orleans Superdome stadium, the city's main emergency shelter," the paper said. Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Did New Orleans Disaster Expose City's Racial Fault Line?

"The white people got out [of New Orleans]" wrote New York Times correspondent Jason DeParle. "Most of them, anyway. If television and newspaper images can be deemed a statistical sample, mostly black people were left behind - poor black people, growing more hungry, sick and frightened by the hour as faraway officials counseled patience and warned that rescues."

Traditionally, African-Americans have always been counseled to have patience when it comes to racist practices that favors whites.

For more see, "Disaster exposes city's racial fault line."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)

Criticism Forces Bush to Return to the U.S. Gulf Coast

After President George W. Bush nominated Federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts, Jr. on September 5, 2005 to replace the late William Rehnquist as the 17th chief justice of the United States, he immediately left for a second tour of the Gulf Coast of the U.S., to inspect the hurricane relief work taking place there.

This time he will visit Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Poplarville, Mississippi, according to The Associated Press.

Mr. Bush should have responded to the crisis wrought by Hurricane Katrina with the same speed he gave to finding a replacement for Rehnquist. He responded in a manner that made a difference only after receiving widespread criticism from both opponents and supporters. I wonder if his second visit is a political decision?

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:03 AM | Comments (0)

September 04, 2005

Never Again Can Americans Ridicule Chaotic Relief Efforts Abroad

After noting that "America's government has failed its people," The Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon,USA, said:

But never again can Americans shake their heads at images of chaotic relief efforts in other countries: people left to die for want of food, water or basic medicine. Police officers deserting their posts as a city collapses into anarchy. Politicians issuing platitudes while the situation worsens by the hour. Bodies piling up on the streets.

How can such things happen? Americans now know for themselves.

Those actions begin with the hubris of federal, state and local governments who think they can outwit nature. Canals built to help the oil industry boosted the Gulf Coast economy but left residents vulnerable. So did the loss of wetlands and barrier islands.The publication also noted in its September 4, 2005 editorial that,

Emergency-response agencies and journalistic investigations persistently warned that the existing levees couldn't protect New Orleans, which sits below sea level. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- which botched its initial response to Hurricane Katrina -- said catastrophic flooding in New Orleans was among the most likely disasters to befall the United States.

"Congress and the Bush administration never found the money to shore up New Orleans' levee system and other protections, despite urgent requests from the Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana's politicians," the publication added.

For more see, "Government fails Katrina victims, ducks blame."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

September 03, 2005

Weekend Australian's Insightful Look at 'An American Ccatastrophe'

Geoff Elliott, The Weekend Australian's Washington correspondent, published a thought-provoking and insightful analysis of the race and class issues exposed by the Bush Administration's lack of immediate response to the refugee problem caused when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States on August 29, 2005.

See "An American catastrophe" for Elliot's biting critique.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 09:04 PM | Comments (0)

'What Happened in New Orleans Far Worse Than Admitted So Far'

The Sunday Observer of London told its readers September 4, 2005 that:

Those trapped inside the two main shelters [in New Orleans], the Superdome and the Convention Centre, paint a picture of a city that was subsumed beneath waves of violence, rape and death and accuse the police and National Guard of standing by, ignoring their pleas for help.

The claims are rejected by the federal and state authorities, who instead suggest the looting and lawlessness which followed the extensive flooding of the city was the result of a series of isolated incidents perpetrated by a few. "But it is clear from talking to survivors that what happened in New Orleans last week was far more extensive, bloody and terrifying than the authorities have admitted so far," the publication said.

For more see, "They're not giving us what we need to survive."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 08:27 PM | Comments (0)

Kanye West's Statement on Bush Censored on U.S. West Coast

NBC didn't like what Hip Hop superstar Kanye West said about U.S. President George W. Bush during a televised benefit concert in New York on September 2, 2005. So it tried to censor West's contention that, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." The solution: Switch to a non-controversial African-Americans such as comedian Chris Tucker before West could say too much.

West, who deviated from the script, saw his statement cut out of the West Coast broadcast.

I suspect many prominent African-Americans feel the way West does but don't have the balls to say it. Here's more.

Here's Billboards article on West's statement.

By the way, West also took a shot at the way the media portrays African-Americans compared to Caucasians.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 04:05 PM | Comments (0)

Darryl Pinckney: 'We Are on Our Own' in New Orleans

Darryl Pinckney, author of a novel, "High Cotton" and a number of other works, told readers of The Guardian of London on September 3, 2005, that:

In the US, white people are able to conceive of black people who are better than they are or worse than they are, superior or inferior, but they seem to have a hard time imagining black people who are just like them.

He said, "Officials in the affected areas are already beginning to have their say about the inadequacy of the measures the federal and state governments had in place to cope with the catastrophe, but maybe one of the reasons the rest of the country sat around and didn't seem able to take hold right away was their fear of the black people left behind."

For more see, "We are on our own.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)

Bush's Belated Gulf Coast Visit Fails to Appease Critics

The Independent Online of London said, U.S. President George W. Bush's "belated visit [to the Gulf Coast of the United States on September 2, 2005, to inspect damage from Hurricane Katrina and offer leadership] fails to appease his critics as [the] estimated death toll tops 10,000." Here's more.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 03:17 PM | Comments (0)

Despite Bush Claim, New Orleans Levee Breach Was Anticipated

Some newspapers and other news outlets in the United States downplayed President George W. Bush's September 1, 2005 claim in an interview with ABC New's Diane Sawyer that:

I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees (in New Orleans). They did anticipate a serious storm. But these levees got breached, and as a result, much of New Orleans is flooded. And now we are having to deal with it and will.

A few news outlets, according to Media Matters for America (MMFA), did challenged Mr. Bush's claims." For indepth coverage on this issue, see this MMFA article on The New Times' failure to contradict Mr. Bush's claim.

Also see "News outlets downplay Bush administration's failure to prepare for and respond to Hurricane Katrina."

Posted by Munir Umrani at 01:14 PM | Comments (0)

The Opinion Gazette Has Update on New Orleans Refugees

The Opinion Gazette, one of my other blogs, has updates on Americans in New Orleans who are refugees as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 12:14 PM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2005

The Plight of the New Orleans Refugees: A Mirror to the World

As I look at the tired, desperate, scared, hungry refugees trapped in New Orleans, I wonder if President George W. Bush and his administration would have moved faster to provide relief for them if they were predominantly white Republicans.

Looking at the mostly black faces reminded me of scenes of African refugees I've seen on television over the years, and the U.S.' general response to tragedy on that continent. The response is usually muted, except from non-governmental organizations, when it comes to Africa. In recent years, the tragedies in Rwanda and Liberia symbolizes the general lack of U.S. interest in providing help to Africans. Unlike with the Tsunami that struck Asia last December, the U.S. could not score any political and public relations points as they did against the Muslim world by claiming Muslim leaders wouldn't help their own or were slow in doing so.

Well, who's slow now in providing aid to their own people, most of whose ancestors were brought to the U.S. in the 1800s from Africa by slave traders? Perhaps it's that African connection that gets in the way. Even the names of some places in Louisiana and New Orleans speaks to the African connection: Congo Square and Algiers in New Orleans. Then there is Angola, where the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary is located "about 55 miles north of Baton Rouge." It was named after the area in Africa from where many of the slaves in Louisiana were brought.

But back to the present: As Jeff Jarvis at BuzzMachine states in a September 1, 2005 post, "This terrible tragedy" in New Orleans "has now become a scandal." Consider this from Jarvis, who never bites his tongue on an issue:

Aaron Brown just asked a correspondent whether he thought he'd ever stand on the soil of the United States of America and report what he is reporting from New Orleans.
Through a lack of quick action and resources and any semblance of planning, the people left in New Orleans have been condemned to thirst, hunger, filth, disease, fear, crime, danger, and in too many cases death.

The convention center in New Orleans is a symbol of shame. How can we not figure out how to get water there? Babies are starving. People are dying. There is no authority; police have pulled back to defend their own stations or, according to CNN, deserted their posts.

Authorities from Bush down to cabinet officials down to legislators down to state officials down to the soon-to-be-former-mayor down to those police have failed these people. No one would argue that this was going to be smooth or easy. But the basics water, food, safety, goals are abandoned.

Political careers at every level will end because of this failure.

Good. political careers should end over the New Orleans/ Gulf Coast of Mississippi refugee situations. It's inescusable considering that the the U.S. is the greatest military and industrial power on Earth, at the moment. If we can spend billions destroying Iraq and them claim it's being rebuilt--mainly by firms connected to President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney and their powerful cronies--certainly we should spend billions to save Americans.

In fact, I wish the Administration moved as fast in New Orleans and Mississippi as it does in Baghdad and Fallujah.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:43 AM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2005

Visit The Opinion Gazette for News on Hurricane Katrina

Visit The Opinion Gazette, another blog I publish, for my coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

Look for more news at The Diplomatic Times Review after 7 p.m. Central Standard Time in the Unite States

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)

CSM: 'Panic of war sparks human tragedy in Iraq'

Christian Science Monitor corresponder Dan Murphy reported September 1, 2005 from Baghdad that, "What began as a tense yet joyful day for Iraq's Shiites, with about a million people chanting prayers and streaming toward a gold-domed shrine, unraveled into the single worst human tragedy since the beginning of the war." Here's his account of the tragic event

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:40 AM | Comments (0)

Musharraf' to Address Council of World Jewry

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf' "plans to address leaders of the Jewish community in the United States at an interfaith meeting organized by the Council for World Jewry, during his visit to New York later this month to attend the U.N. General Assembly," according to Reuters.

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:34 AM | Comments (0)

Israeli, Pakistani Foreign Ministers Hold Talks

Reuters, like many news outlets, reported September 1, 2005 that, "Israel held its first public talks with Pakistan on Thursday [ September 1, 2005 ]and Jordan's king was expected to visit the Jewish state soon in signs of a thaw with the Muslim world after its evacuation of Jewish settlers from Gaza."

The wire service said, "Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and his Pakistani counterpart Khursheed Mehmood Kasuri met in Istanbul for the first high-level contacts between their two countries despite their lack of diplomatic ties." Here's more.

Also see Ynetnews' "Israel, Pakistan to establish ties

Posted by Munir Umrani at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)