America's New Strategy in Iraq/ATimes--New WMW (will be brutal)

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


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR SEPTEMBER 29, 2004

1//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--AMERICA’S NEW STRATEGY IN IRAQ (The new US strategy, then, is targeted at the cities where the guerrillas and their clerical leadership dominate, notably Fallujah, Samarra, Tal Afar and Sadr City, though there are several others that have not been in the news lately. The US method is to negotiate with the clerics, offering extensive reconstruction aid in exchange for calling off the insurgency and perhaps delivering the guerrilla fighters over to the United States. They call this negotiating with the moderates to split with the militants…. The calibrated increases in the destructiveness of US air attacks over the past few months appears to have numbed local and international outrage, a condition that allows for further escalation and many more casualties. The actions of the Iraqi people - both insurgents and civilians - may constrain this strategy before it reaches the point of blanket bombing and wholesale destruction. But even the most ferocious Iraqi resistance may not be sufficient to deter the coming November offensive. The Iraqis need and deserve the support of the international community; the best (and least destructive) deterrent against this impending onslaught would be the threat of uncontrollable worldwide protest should the US attempt to level either Fallujah or Sadr City.)



2//The Independent, UK--BLAME ME (…UP TO A POINT) (Tony Blair admitted yesterday that his stance on Iraq had led to a collapse in his trust ratings and appealed to Labour to set aside differences on the war and work for a historic third term…Although Mr Blair struck his most conciliatory tone on Iraq, his words failed to satisfy critics who have been demanding that he say sorry for the war. He dropped from his final draft a line saying he was "sorry" for the divisions over Iraq. An aide admitted last night: "He does not feel apologetic. He is sorry the intelligence was wrong but he was not at fault. He believes he was right. He is not contrite." The Prime Minister was speaking just hours after two British soldiers were killed on the outskirts of Basra and amid fears about the fate of the British hostage Ken Bigley.)



3//Institute for War & Peace Reporting, UK--CONFUSION OVER AFGHAN LEADERSHIP (While some voters ponder their choice of 18 candidates for the presidential election on October 9, others don't really know what a president is, according to a recent IWPR survey. Many confused a president with a king, which should come as no surprise since the country was ruled by a monarch for much of the past 300 years. People often use the world “pacha”, or king, when asked what qualities are needed for a good president. “I don’t know the president,” said a 55-year-old man in the Imam Sahib district of Basoos village, Kunduz province. “I only know the king, and I want my rights from him.” The views were obtained in a nationwide survey of 3,000 people in 21 provinces - conducted in mid-August by 100 journalists, as part of a workshop organised by IWPR on journalism and the presidential election.)



4//The Moscow Times, Russia--ILLARIONOV SAYS KYOTO WILL BE RATIFIED (Andrei Illarionov, the country's fiercest opponent of the Kyoto Protocol, said Tuesday that Russia will ratify the international treaty to limit greenhouse gases even though he believes the move will destroy its chances of doubling GDP by 2010. Illarionov, President Vladimir Putin's top economic adviser, said Russian officials do not believe in the treaty's scientific or economic merits but will ratify it anyway in a political gesture toward the European Union…Illarionov's comments are a powerful indication that Russia will in fact ratify the treaty after years of foot-dragging, analysts said. "If he says that Russia will ratify, it means that there is a decision," said Ksenia Udayeva, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center. "His statement basically means that now Russian authorities think it is the correct political moment.")



5//The Toronto Star, Canada--PARLIAMENT MUST VOTE ON MISSILE DEFENCE: LAYTON(It would be "unspeakable arrogance" for Prime Minister Paul Martin to join the American missile defence system without a parliamentary vote, says NDP Leader Jack Layton.In notes for a speech today at Carleton University, Layton said Martin supports the system because he wants to curry favour with U.S. President George W. Bush. Layton condemned the suggestion that the federal cabinet can approve or reject the proposal without parliamentary backing. "Parliament must vote on whether to join Star Wars missile defence," he said. "Parliament will vote on whether to join Star Wars missile defence.")

The new plan is: "Bomb them into submission." Most American do not give a damn how many Iraqis are killed and maimed. The death toll could reach a million and most Americans will shrug.

The sham that Iraq has a Govt. that the Insurgency is fighting against is believed by most Americans. Here is the truth that most Americans will never know. Even if they were aware of this I doubt if they would care about it.


The Hand-Over That Wasn't: Illegal Orders give the US a Lock on Iraq's Economy
by Antonia Juhasz

Officially, the U.S. occupation of Iraq ended on June 28, 2004. But in reality, the United States is still in charge: Not only do 138,000 troops remain to control the streets, but the "100 Orders" of L. Paul Bremer III remain to control the economy.

These little noticed orders enacted by Bremer, the now-departed head of the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority, go to the heart of Bush administration plans in Iraq. They lock in sweeping advantages to American firms, ensuring long-term U.S. economic advantage while guaranteeing few, if any, benefits to the Iraqi people.

The Bremer orders control every aspect of Iraqi life - from the use of car horns to the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Order No. 39 alone does no less than "transition from a … centrally planned economy to a market economy" virtually overnight and by U.S. fiat.

Although many thought that the "end" of the occupation would also mean the end of the orders, on his last day in Iraq Bremer simply transferred authority for the orders to Prime Minister Iyad Allawi - a 30-year exile with close ties to the CIA and British intelligence.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0805-07.htm

so so sad. this land is no longer my land. ever wonder about our national anthem----and the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof thru the night.
iraqis are a tribal culture. the no go zones that will be shocked and awed are always reported as the slum areas. that is where 60% of the population lives.