What Do American Newspapers Say?
United Press International
New York Times
Most Americans -- two-thirds, according to a Pew Research poll this month -- believe that President Saddam Hussein of Iraq had a hand in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Trouble is, no hard evidence of such a link has been made public. In its campaign for military action against Iraq, the Bush administration frequently asserts that it has proof of extensive ties between Iraq and al Qaida. What it has disclosed, however, is unconvincing. This is no way to justify a war -- either the potential one against Iraq or the existing one against Islamic extremists. ...
American officials say they have evidence that Iraqi leaders visited Mr. bin Laden in Sudan in the early 1990s and that some al Qaida leaders have taken refuge in Iraq. They also speak of a credible claim that Iraq provided training to Mr. bin Laden´s followers in the use of explosives and chemical weapons. These sound like important findings, but when asked for details the administration becomes hazy, saying it has sources to protect.
If the United States is to go to war, it had better not do so under false pretenses. The administration needs to lay out its case clearly and unambiguously. If there really is, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last month, "bulletproof" evidence of links between al Qaida and Baghdad, this seems like a moment to present the evidence. A way can surely be found to do so while protecting the identity of sensitive intelligence sources.
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Washington Times
We don´t have any armchair advice for the police. We don´t care whether they hold press conferences once an hour or once a day. We don´t think we know better than them how to do their job. We are disinclined to criticize any part of their job performance. We only have two words for the police, sheriffs, FBI, ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms), and other law-enforcement men and women in our communities: Thank you. Thank you for doing the best you can. Thank you for trying to find one clever killer out of a population of 4 million. Thank you for working overtime and missing your families and home. Thank you for dashing to the scene of the most recent outrage at all hours of the day and night. Thank you for standing in the middle of the Beltway stopping traffic -- never knowing whether in the next car you will be looking down the nose of a grumbling commuter or down the barrel of the killer´s gun. And thank you for doing all this at a pay substantially below that of most of us whom you are risking your lives to protect.
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Washington Post
Nearly six weeks have passed since President Bush challenged the United Nations to act to enforce its resolutions on Iraq. Yet there has been no action. Instead, in its attempt to build support in the U.N. Security Council, the Bush administration has made a series of significant concessions. Though renewed U.N. inspections almost certainly would not ensure Iraqi disarmament -- and might provide (Iraqi leader) Saddam Hussein with months or years of additional time to build up his arsenal -- the United States has agreed to try them again. It has also dropped its demand that a new U.N. resolution explicitly authorize force in the event of continued Iraqi noncompliance, and removed some of the toughest elements from its proposed inspection scheme. In effect, President Bush has risked the indefinite delay or evisceration of his campaign to eliminate the Iraqi threat in order to build a broad international coalition and preserve the authority of the United Nations. We believe the risk was worth taking. Yet the U.S. resolution is being resisted, still, by France and Russia, two permanent Security Council members that appear determined to block or fatally weaken any American-led initiative. It is time to call their bluff and ask the Security Council to vote. ...
France and Russia aspire to use their places on the Security Council, granted a half-century ago, to wield influence they otherwise would not have at the opening of the 21st century. Yet now they risk destroying the very institution that serves them, along with any hope that the United Nations will play a meaningful role in a war on terrorism likely to dominate global affairs for years to come. They already have succeeded in slowing and tempering the Bush administration´s campaign on Iraq; now they must decide whether they are ultimately to stand with the United States or Saddam Hussein. The Bush administration should put its resolution to a vote. If it fails, it should be clear that responsibility for the failure of multilateralism lies not with the hawks of Washington but with the naysayers of Paris and Moscow.
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Boston Globe
Officials in Beijing and Washington alike have been hinting that when the departing president of China, Jiang Zemin, visits President Bush on Friday, the two leaders can be expected to put symbolism before substance. It would be regrettable if, as expected, Bush and Jiang leave themselves just an hour for serious talks. They have a lot to talk about.
If Bush were wise, he would not merely instruct Jiang to tell China´s erstwhile allies in North Korea to meet all U.S. demands concerning their nuclear and missile programs and their conventional forces along the border with South Korea. He would also ask Jiang to explain Pyongyang´s behavior. ...
The crucial strategic message Jiang needs to hear is that U.S. military bases sited on China´s periphery are intended only for America´s antiterrorist campaign and not for the purpose of containing or threatening China. Bush, however, should not permit Jiang to think that America approves of China´s harsh repress ion of Muslim Uighurs in East Turkestan as if it were equal to the U.S. campaign against Osama bin Laden´s terrorism. And Bush should commend dialogue with the Dalai Lama, leading to autonomy for Tibet.
Bush also ought to demand the release of Yang Jianli, a Brookline resident and veteran of the 1989 Tiananmen democracy movement who was detained in China last April. Bush should insist on the freedom of Yang and other democracy activists not only for the sake of human rights, but also to take sides with a Chinese population that, sooner rather than later, is bound to achieve self-government.
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Dallas Morning News
Imagine the fear. In one too-typical moment in Israel on Monday, terrorists brought down more innocent victims than the sniper in the Washington area has in weeks. Islamic Jihad took responsibility for the suicide mission in which a vehicle pulled up next to a commuter bus in northern Israel and exploded, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens. The Palestinians also live in fear -- just last week, at least six Palestinians were killed and more than 40 were wounded as the Israeli army fired on houses in a Gaza Strip refugee camp in response to attacks on its troops.
Fighting the fears will take more multilateral cooperation. Each international situation affects another -- from Israel to Iraq to Afghanistan to North Korea. The Bush administration wisely has recognized the interrelationship of security concerns and is being flexible in its approach. ...
World dangers transcend borders more than ever. Be it in Bethlehem, Bali or Baghdad, international cooperation has become all the more important.
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Los Angeles Times
Suddenly norteamericano leaders are disparaging a small Central American nation, and, oddly, the people there are glad.
Rampant corruption and the spread of organized crime threaten to cripple Guatemala, said John Hamilton, former U.S. ambassador to Peru, at a hearing this month on his nomination as ambassador to the Central American nation. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., warned about the troubling deterioration of individual freedoms in Guatemala. On Oct. 10, Otto Reich, assistant secretary of State for Western Hemisphere affairs, criticized the administration of Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo for its "lack of political will" to advance the stalled 1996 peace accords between the government and insurgents.
By all accounts, since Portillo took office in December 1999, corruption has increased dramatically. ...
The United States wants to work with Guatemala to root out corruption, but nothing can be done if President Portillo does not proceed more aggressively. He must implement the National Anti-Corruption Plan developed by the World Bank. He must convince his own party and the opposition to pass legislation on corruption and transparency. In the wake of Reich´s comments, Portillo has announced measures to address corruption. Much more needs to be done.
The criticism against Portillo comes from right, left and center and resonates both in the United States and Guatemala. He needs to listen.
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Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Honolulu´s high ranking as a metropolitan area that has resisted what is termed urban sprawl is colored somewhat by geography. After all, how much sprawl can there be in a city situated on a volcanic island about 44 miles at its longest and 30 miles at its widest, divided by two mountain ranges, and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean? Still, the report by a group called Smart Growth America points out what damage can result to the quality of life from the lack of careful planning. ...
With a limited amount of land suitable for building, Honolulu can´t help but put up homes close to each other. Residents of newer communities can attest to close quarters where neighbor can hear neighbor from one living room to the next. Favorable or not, land-cost-driven housing clearly qualifies Honolulu for the density factor. ...
The survey also urges urban planners to consider renewal projects rather than building on undeveloped lands. Refurbished communities, such as Kaimuki, draw businesses and result in more jobs. Similar redevelopment containing the proper mix of business and housing could enliven a neglected district, such as Kalihi. Taking these steps would keep Honolulu livable and in the top rankings of smart growth 10 to 20 years from now.
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(Compiled by United Press International)
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Source: "United Press International".
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