|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Institute for Public Accuracy
|
|
|
|
Global Analysts Available:
* Bush in Shanghai * Legality of Bombing? * Role of Al-Jazeera
|
|
|
| WASHINGTON
- October 18 -
JEFFREY WINTERS,
winters@northwestern.edu
Associate professor of political economy at Northwestern University, author of Power in
Motion: Capital Mobility and the Indonesian State and co-author of the
forthcoming Reinventing the World Bank, Winters said today:
"Hardly anything has been accomplished at past Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit meetings and very little economics will be discussed at this
one. It is mainly an opportunity for Bush to pressure Asian leaders on the U.S.
military campaign as well as for some of them to strengthen their opposition to
it, which is greater than has been reported. Bush may attempt to buy support,
including ironically by resuming arms shipments to the Indonesian military
which terrorizes its own people."
ROBERT WEIL,
robweil@aol.com
Author of Red Cat, White Cat: China and the Contradictions of "Market Socialism," Weil said today: "China is being very foolish and shortsighted in its lending
general support to the U.S. war in Afghanistan. The reason for that Chinese
government policy -- at least in part -- is its conflict with separatist Muslim
forces in its own northwest. But the record shows that the U.S. government uses
such situations only for its immediate goals and then quickly reverses its
stand once it has accomplished its own purposes. In the meantime, the Chinese
government will have opened the door for a U.S. presence in Central Asia and
for U.S. intervention wherever it chooses in the world. This cannot be in the
long-term interest of China or any other nation."
JULES LOBEL,
lobel@law.pitt.edu
MICHAEL RATNER,
mratner@igc.org, www.humanrightsnow.org
Lobel is professor of constitutional and international law at the University of Pittsburgh. Ratner is vice president of the Center for Constitutional Rights. They co-wrote the
recent article "An Alternative to the U.S. Employment of Military
Force." They said today: "The U.S. has not gotten approval for the
bombing of Afghanistan from the UN Security Council. Just as many predicted,
the U.S. bombing is destabilizing Pakistan, killing more innocents, creating
massive numbers of refugees who are facing starvation and further fueling
resentment towards the U.S. -- thus virtually assuring more terrorism against
us. On totally pragmatic grounds, Americans should be terrified at what our
government is doing. The evidence that Blair put forward against bin Laden is
circumstantial. What's the downside to pausing the bombing and negotiating --
the Taliban have put forward proposals for turning over bin Laden -- while
letting the humanitarian organizations feed some people?"
LAMIS ANDONI,
LamisAndoni@yahoo.com, www.meionline.com
An independent journalist and Middle East analyst, Andoni has been monitoring the Al-Jazeera [www.aljazeera.net] network. She said
today: "Al-Jazeera shows critical views, including persecuted opposition
groups and intellectuals as well as the pro-U.S. views of most of the
governments, along with the statements of U.S. government officials. Other
perspectives are needed -- there are positions besides being for Bush or being
for bin Laden. Al-Jazeera features news from people in Afghanistan and
Pakistan, it still has a correspondent in Kabul, regular news from the occupied
Palestinian territories, serious discussion of international law, definitions
of terrorism and critical reports on Arab governments."
###
|
|
|
Common Dreams NewsCenter is a non-profit news service
providing breaking news and views for the Progressive Community.
The
press release posted here has been provided to Common Dreams NewsWire by
one of the many progressive organizations who make up America's Progressive Community.
If
you wish to comment on this press release or would like more information,
please contact the organization directly.
*all times Eastern US (GMT-5:00)
Making News?
Read our Guidelines
for Submitting News Releases
© Copyright
1997-2003 Common Dreams.
www.commondreams.org
|
|
