I hope this will be a regular feature of the new blog,
The Daily Pulse. If anybody is interested in doing it, I'll send you the editorial links.
It makes a lot of sense to see what Europe is saying these days. The very idea that we are talking about an Iraqi constitution, including the fate of the Kurds, without including Turkey is, simply stated, utter insanity. Just read a few of the editorial below to see how concerned the Turks are, and ask yourself, 'is this any way to treat an ally?'
Our failure to resolve the old territorial problems from the defunct Soviet Union, and to do something about the enormous weapons caches they left behind, will most definitely come back to haunt us. One editorial from Baku describes some of the problems.
In the Czech Republic, corruption, Arab princes, sex with young girls, and Muslim courts are in the news. We really need to stop depending on Arab oil, or any oil, because it corrupts us. The western world is hostage to every evil whim of every petit little prince of the Arab world, and that is truly a shame.
Cyprus Mail
I mentioned in the regular Daily Pulse that Bush is holding something brown in his hand and calling it chocolate, but everybody else is smelling something different. This editorial writer is talking about a dog, too, but the other end. I really don't have a lot to add. Just follow the link, because we really should know how the rest of the world views the insane optimism that is Bush calling the constitutional cluster-[you know what] in Iraq an unprecedented achievement.
The dog ate my constitution
"AHMED, where's your homework?"
"The dog ate it, Miss. I had it all done, honest, but then the dog..."
"That's all right, dear. Take another week and give it to me next Monday."
Real teachers in Iraq are not so forgiving. The kids rarely have to write a whole constitution, but if they did it would be in on time: Iraqi teachers don't accept lame excuses, and they don't give extensions. Whereas the Iraqi parliament and its American overlords are another story entirely. ...
President George W. Bush greeted this failure with his customary optimism: "I applaud the heroic efforts of the Iraqi negotiators...Their efforts are a tribute to democracy and an example that difficult problems can be resolved peacefully through debate, negotiation and compromise." ...
The post-third-deadline negotiations staggered on until Saturday, August 27, with no results. By now nobody could deny that the dog had well and truly died, and the Kurdish-Shia version of the constitution was presented to the National Assembly on Sunday, where it was approved. Sunnis and radical Shitte leaders have vowed to defeat it. ...
Even if the constitution is approved in the October referendum, the armed revolt among the Sunni Arabs will continue, because their concerns have been ignored. President Bush now sounds quite testy about that: "This talk about the Sunnis rising up. I mean the Sunnis have got to make a choice. Do they want to live in a society that's free, or do they want to live in violence?"
But the Sunni Arabs of Iraq have defined their choices rather differently, and the insurgency will continue regardless of any new constitution.
n Gwynne Dyer is a London-based independent journalist whose articles are published in 45 countries.
Turkish Daily News
Of all nations, Turkey probably has the most to lose if Iraq goes terribly awry. It therefore makes sense to see what Turkish editorials have to say about the new constitution. It would not be hyperbole to say they are not pleased. They see instability, civil war, ongoing conflict with the Kurds, and the threat of Shariah rule that could lead to problems within Turkey itself. Turkey is supposed to be our friend, our ally. Have we done anything to mollify their concerns? Or is life just one big Pax Americana, and everybody else be damned? If so, be assured we will pay for that some day.
Iraq will be a huge problem
The new constitution failed to address this country's fundamental problems and just delayed a solution. Everything depends on the goodwill of the sides while the constitution is implemented. If they behave solely based on their own interests, both Iraq and Turkey will suffer. ... The constitution really does not include certain feared passages; however, the document in question does not resolve the hidden problems.
Kurds don't renounce their dream of independence, while Shiites do not renounce their dream of Shariah rule. Meanwhile, Sunnis cannot accept the fact that they are no longer in power. ...
Let's not forget that once the constitution comes into force and the Iraqis start governing the country, the American presence will shrink. Today they are the main target. Tomorrow there will be others. ...
First, Saddam ruined the country by subjecting it to a war with Iran for eight years. Then the Americans made it worse while trying to fix the wrongs. The only thing the Iraq wanted was peace, but it was pushed into chaos.
Their only hope is in the future, and even that looks bleak. ...
The worst cases for Turkey are Shariah coming to Iraq, Kurds declaring independence and a Shiite-Sunni civil war.
Don't read too much into the current bloodletting in Iraq. The Iraqis have common sense. When the time comes, the system will start working.
We have nothing but hope to cling to.
The Prague Post
Well, it looks like corruption and the power of wealth are not unique to America. No surprise there. In Prague, a Qatari royal prince is going to get away with multiple cases of statutory rape. Boys, you see, will be boys, particularly if they are incredibly rich and well connected boys. Follow the link to see how bad it is, including a description of the Qatar "legal system," which only gives a woman's testimony half the weight of a man's.
Qatar abuse case about more than sex crime
When Justice Minister Pavel Nemec decided to champion the cause of a convicted child molester who happens to be a Qatari royal prince, over the protests of his own country's judges and prosecutors, he triggered an escalating legal conflict among competing factions of the government that finally spilled over into the rarefied chamber of the Czech Supreme Court this month. ...
A Czech court had already convicted Prince Hamid bin Abdal Sani of paying for sex with at least 17 young girls -- four of them under 15 -- in a Prague flat. The going price for each girl: 2,000 Kc ($85) with an extra 1,000 Kc per girl paid to the three adult Czech women who recruited them off the street for him. ...
But only two business days after authorities charged Sani, Nemec announced he intended to extradite Sani to Qatar, even before he himself had read the case file. Nemec's intentions become even more questionable because it's virtually unprecedented for the Czech government to seek foreign transfer of a case against a resident expatriate; such procedures usually apply only to criminal suspects who are visitors passing through the country, not to foreign residents who repeatedly prey on its citizens. ...
...Sani will almost certainly escape punishment because of the extraordinary advantages that the circumstances of his case give him under the Qatari legal system. ...
Given the exceptional wealth of the Qatari royal family, the political influence of the prince and Nemec's inexplicable betrayal of the justice system that he leads, he has virtually invited accusations of corruption.
Baku Today
The Soviet Union may be gone, but the territorial conflicts and weapons caches it left behind will continue to fuel terrorism, unless we start to take them seriously. In Baku, they presume that a sting last month of men smuggling Russian weapons into the US shocked us. They would probably be shocked to know most of us knew nothing about it- we were more concerned with the fate of a pretty girl in Aruba. We will all die with People Magazine in our hands. A more terrible fate, I can not imagine.
Arms Trafficking, Frozen Conflicts and U.S. National Security
Last month's arms-smuggling operation by the FBI which resulted in the arrest of eighteen men who were trying to smuggle sophisticated Russian weaponry into the United States, came as a surprise and a shock to most Americans. It also put the issue of `frozen conflicts' in the former Soviet Union back on the radar screen for American policy makers. ...
At the time when Iran is aggressively pursuing nuclear fuel-cycle capabilities, the security of the routes that can be used for smuggling nuclear weapons and other military equipments into and from Iran, should be a priority for the U.S. policy makers. The Caucasus region is located just north of Iran and several frozen conflicts in the region make it extremely vulnerable to arms trafficking. "No peace-no war" situation in the region have created more incentives for criminals, smugglers and foreign military personal to seek profits at the expense of the conflicting parties and their populations. ...
To avoid further instances of arms-smuggling, the US administration should increase its assistance in helping the Caucasus states to restore their territorial integrity by eliminating the grey zones and seek a fast solution to the conflicts in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh. In a globalized world, frozen conflicts no longer threaten local stability, but have far greater implications for international security. Hence, the US-led war against terrorism should not concentrate only on eliminating terrorists, but also on the alleviation of conditions in conflict regions that enable terrorists to act freely and obtain unaccounted weapons.
Taleh Ziyadov is a graduate fellow at the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
The Warsaw Voice
We are not alone in our fear of terrorism. Even in Poland, people are concerned. If that is true, why are we acting so unilaterally, refusing the cooperation and advice of others who do not agree with everything we do?
"When?", not "If?
New York, Bali, Madrid, Moscow, Beslan, London, Turkish holiday resorts...the map of terrorist attacks grows denser every week. A sense of inevitability is developing. People, including experts responsible for safety, increasingly ask "When?", not "If?" After the tragic events of Thursday July 7 in London, apart from compassion, Poland has felt endangered. Politicians and the media stressed that as an active member of the coalition in Iraq, Poland may sooner or later become the target of revenge by Islamic radicals, which reopened a debate on preparations for counteracting a tragedy like the one in London. Terrorist alerts were even announced; fortunately, they were caused by pranksters instead of real attackers. ...
Zaman Online (Turkey)
This editorial begins with a long history of Turkmen in Iraq, then laments the utter disregard of this population in the new "constitution." I, for one, did not even know this was an issue. This is a great example of why we need to be a lot more international, to read papers other than the New York Times and the local fish-wrapper, if we want to understand the world around us.
Turkmen Crisis in the Iraqi Constitution on the Way
...
No place for Turkmen in the new Iraqi constitution
When we collect all the significant data, we see that Turkmen voluntarily respect Iraqi territorial integrity, and are far from racist and fanatic or aggressive in their views; but are a democratic society that is peaceful, cultivated, having no dispute with anyone. In this case, Turkmen may be perceived as a plaster that may bond Arabs and Kurds, smothering their extreme activities and fill the emptiness and gaps between them. As they did in their former regions, Turkmen may take the political role of a strong, impartial and just bridge between the two societies. Turkmen may be accepted as a good balancing element; moreover, they may arbitrate in some ways to the controversial issues since half Turkmen are Shiites and the other half are Sunni. The differences of the sects never divided the Turkmen.
Upon the current situation, what do Iraqi policy-makers or policy engineers, in fact, think about Turkmen? The first draft of the permanent Iraqi Constitution will be handed around; however, the rights of Turkmen remained extremely under the rights given at the interim Iraqi Administration Constitution that came into force two years ago. I wonder why Turkmen are always excluded from the system. Does their exclusion derive from all segments or is it the doing of a certain segment? .... Turkmen should be regarded as a separate entity from the Kirkuk issue in order to gain their rights. Turkmen being considered the same as Keldoashuris, Armenians, Subbis and Yezidis whose total population barely reach one million is also the messenger of a new conflict.
Then, instead of waving at least 2.5 million Turkmen aside by underestimating or announcing them as a minority, and perceive them as the third major element and oblige them to a mission and a duty it may result in more beneficial consequences in terms of Iraq's future while settling democracy and providing permanent peace in Iraq. The most legitimate ground for this will be the Iraqi Constitution that is being prepared. Approving Turkmen as the third largest element in the new Iraqi Constitution will provide all Turkmen the chance to say "YES" in the referendum and will prevent their opposition after being dragged into the equation without a doubt.
*Professor Mahir Nakip is Erciyes University Faculty Member
August 12, 2005
Zaman Online (Turkey)
In Turkey, our support for the Kurds is a real problem. What they call "terrorists" we seem to think "freedom fighters." Right now, our position is that the Kurds should have an autonomous region as part of Iraq. But when the rest of the country goes Iran-like Islamic fundamentalist, what are we going to do? Will we abandon the Kurds again? Or will we support them, rewarding their terrorism against our ally, Turkey? George H.W. Bush knew exactly what he was doing NOT deposing Hussein. The many crossing and conflicting lines of interest in that region do not lend themselves to anything other than war and death. Iraq was much like Tito's Yugoslavia, an artificial construct (a) essential to the stability of the region, and (b) possible only under the brutal thumb of a strong man. Hussein, for many years, was our strong man.
PKK: The Name of the Metal Storm in Turkish-US Relations
Not a single day goes by that Turkey does not face a new PKK attack or a mine explosion. And not a single day goes by that Turkey does not enter into a polemic on ''terrorism'' with countries it thinks are friendly. ...
While Turkey continues to be contented with "strategic relations," the US continues creating its own "strategic partners" in the region. This name was Israel in the past but is now the so-called states of "Kurdistan" and "Mountainous Karabakh." Each of them is a piece of a chain, stretching out from Khazar to the Red Sea. What would happen if you want to interfere in these goings-on and terrorism being nourished just beyond your borders? The answer is quite simple, you would be invited to the "Metal Storm" with an implied threat by the "mandated" country. The justification is handy: "Violating the borders of a sovereign state." Especially at a time when a "pre-emptive strike" sword is hanging over your head. Turkey is being dragged into a real deadend in its foreign politics. ...
The Kurdish factor, in the context of the PKK and Northern Iraq, continues to create important curves and testing fields in Turkish-American relations. In other words, the current attitude and policy the US is pursuing in the region, within its intentions, is far beyond being a turning point in relations between "two allied countries," but is galloping at full speed towards a breaking point. "Turkey's terrorism test" continues. Turkey is looking for an attitude between "Metal Storm" and "being in bed with an elephant." In this case, Turkey will either find another course to flow into, or renew its marriage or return to its roots. However, in any case, the one who loses will be "the pawn" again!
352- Luxembourg News
Even in Luxembourg, people are concerned about terror. At some point, we are going to have to treat this as a world problem, and not an American problem, and show some willingness to cooperate with others. If we do not, those others will act on their own, leaving us to our own devices. No matter how big we think we are, we are not the whole world, and will someday have that fact shoved down our throat.
Close to home
New York, Madrid, London, Sharm el-Sheikh: not exotic destinations, but multicultural melting pots, where people of all races live, work and party. Where people of all colours can get caught up in terrible tragedies.
In recent weeks, Luxembourgers have begun to realise that, however safe their little oasis, they can be hit by disaster close to home the same as any other population wealthy enough to enjoy travelling. ...
On Monday morning, I was glad to be back here on my usual number 3 bus to work, but fully conscious that insecurity and anxiety were only a train or plane ride away.
Mark Breddy
Helsingin Sanomat (Helsinki)
In Helsinki, they think Bush is finally, even if tacitly, acknowledging the failure of unilateralism and neo-con fundamentalism. I hope they are right, but think they are wrong. Bush has yet to acknowledge even the obvious, that the conquest of Iraq will lead for far more instability in the region that existed under Hussein. The neo-cons have not acknowledged error. Like all zealots, they see failure an opine the only explanation must be their theory wasn't done ENOUGH. Conquest of Iraq didn't work? Then invade Syria and Iran. See how that works? If you start with the irrefutable premise the theories are good, then failure can only be explained by insufficient zealotry for the theories. It is, of course, insane, but what can I tell you?
A return to table manners
The armchair pundits of international politics are already coming around to the thought that the attitude to the surrounding world held by the administration of President George W. Bush has either changed or is at least in the process of changing. ... The dust that gathered on diplomatic skills in the intervening period is being brushed off. ...
The starting-point for neo-conservative thinking was the overwhelming military supremacy of the United States, coupled with a belief in the nation's hold on absolute moral authority as the very cradle of democracy and freedom. This double-bill gave the United States what was seen to be an equally absolute hegemony in the world.
The position of dominance was not supposed to be wasted on simply leading international discussions. The United States had instead to take a different approach, acting unilaterally without regard for the protests of others, the shackles of international law, or - above all - the decisions of the United Nations.
The thinking was that success would bring retroactive acceptance and would also get friends to come on board, who could then be rewarded according to their alacrity in providing support. ...
The sense of national self-conceit whipped up by the neo-conservatives only led to a situation where the widespread and genuine admiration felt towards the United States began to melt away with astonishing speed. ...
The world was not presented with proof of the absolute nature of U.S. supremacy, but rather the opposite - the finite limits to the application of that pre-eminence. ...
Fortunately, the damage done is probably not irreparable. In their hubris, the neo-conservatives believed their school of thought held all the answers, and the exposed intellectual bankruptcy of their ideas is unreservedly good news, provided that it is at least quietly acknowledged in Washington. As mentioned earlier, there are already signs of this happening. ...
It is hardly on the cards that the Bush administration would perform such an obvious U-turn. The shattered confidence in the President himself could hardly be completely restored in the remaining three years of his term.
Nonetheless, even a partial change of course would be of great benefit. Bush's successor, whoever that may be, should in any case be given the wherewithal to recover the position of leader of the Western world, a rank that the occupant of the White House can only lose through relying on incompetent advisers.