Full excerpts, links up now at
http://www.zianet.com/insightanalyticalTomorrow at Buzzflash.com
WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR MARCH 1, 2004
1//The Scotsman, UK--GUILIANI: BUSH’S DREAM TICKET (US President George Bush is ready to pull off the biggest shock of this year’s election campaign by naming Rudy Giuliani as his running mate at the Republican convention in Manhattan in September. Giuliani remains the most popular politician in the US and speculation is mounting that Bush will announce the former New York mayor as his vice presidential candidate as the country marks the third anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The Republican party has already carried out canvassing of voters to assess how much support Giuliani has across the country and, according to reports, received high levels of public support.)
2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--AFGHANISTAN: PLAYING POLITICS AGAIN (Even as military operations continue on both sides of the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan to flush out members of the Afghan resistance and remnants of al-Qaeda, initiatives continue apace to fill political vacuums that have the potential to derail any permanent Afghan peace process…Roping in "moderate" Taliban and playing the Pashtun card are continued endeavors in this regard.)
3//The Independent, UK--PM MUST ANSWER TO HOUSE ON SHORT CLAIMS, SAYS KENNEDY (Tony Blair will be under pressure this week to tell Parliament whether it is true that British agents bugged the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan. Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, will press for a Commons statement on the allegations raised last week by the former Cabinet minister, Clare Short…She has refused to back down after being accused of being "irresponsible" by the Prime Minister. "The best way to correct mistakes is to persuade Tony Blair to stand down," she wrote in yesterday's Independent.)
4//The Daily Star, Lebanon-- DILEMMA FOR ARAB YOUTHS: THEY MUCH ENJOY AMERICAN PRODUCTS BUT DESPISE US POLICIES (The only place you won’t find Coca-Cola is in the areas of Lebanon wholly controlled by Hizbullah. How the Lebanese and Arab youth who make up the majority of Middle Eastern populations will resolve their criticism of the US and its policies with their increasing thirst for its culture remains to be seen. But the facts on the ground suggest the standardized cultural model of America is gradually gaining ground in Lebanon and throughout the Arab world.)
5//The Moscow Times, Russia--OPINION: RUSSIA’S ELECTORAL TIME BOMB (The current round of elections play a qualitatively different role -- they mark the end of Russia's liberal democratic experiment. They are not about development, but about the formalization of the post-Communist system. From now on, it will not be possible to alter the rules of the game, create a party bottom-up, win an election without approval from the authorities or force one's way to the top independently. Provided, of course, that there is not a crisis which forces a reorganization of the whole political system on Russia. In any case, the period of spontaneous development in Russia is over. From now on, the only source of spontaneity will be the unintended consequences of the authorities' own actions.)
****************
In memory of Muffy the guinea pig, age 7+, who passed away during the early hours of Leap Day. Her innocence and sweetness will be missed.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
