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Detecting
disinformation, without radar
![]() How does one tell genuine
reporting from an article manufactured to produce the
desired propaganda effect? Take a recent item claiming
that Shi'ites in Basra were staging a revolt against the
Saddam regime ... - Gregory Sinaisky
Iran stakes its Iraq
claim
Officially, Iran and Iraq are in a state of
no-peace, no-war, and there is certainly little love
lost between the neighbors. But since the conclusion of
the eight-year war between them in 1988, Tehran has
desisted from advocating a regime change in Baghdad.
This week that changed - and the United States had
better take note. - Hooman
Peimani
![]() Tehran tests the military
waters
Pentagon squares off against Powell,
Europe
The issue of who will be in charge of the
post-Saddam Hussein occupation of Iraq pits the Pentagon
against Secretary of State Colin Powell and the State
Department and its allies in Europe, notably British
Prime Minister Tony Blair. And like the fighting in
Iraq, the battle promises to be a protracted one. -
Jim
Lobe
THE ROVING
EYE
Shifting sands, shifting
alliances
The shifting sands of the Middle East's deserts
are being matched by shifting alliances in the Arab
world, where neutrality can mean intervention (as per
Iran), and where loyalties can change overnight -
witness the Iraq opposition in exile. One constant
remains, though. Every day, more and more Arabs are
committing to fight for Iraq. - Pepe
Escobar
SPEAKING
FREELY
An
occasional column in which guest writers have
their say.
The myth of the 'bogged down'
war
Much is being made of tactical errors, the Iraq
war grinding to a halt, and US-led forces meeting
"fierce resistance". It's nonsense. General Douglas
MacArthur's miscalculation that the Chinese would not
enter the Korean War was a tactical error. Four million
soldiers dying over three years in that war was fierce
fighting. Snappy soundbites and clever cliches don't
necessarily reflect the reality in Iraq. -
Geoffrey Sherwood
West vs East, daggers
drawn
Conflict between West and East in the Mesopotamia
heartland is nearly as old as the land itself, and in
these age-old battles there are lessons to be learned -
for anyone who cares to take the time to study them.
- K Gajendra
Singh
Coming to terms with the 'great
equalizers'
As United States and British forces in Iraq face
up to the harsh reality of suicide bombers, they could
do worse than turn for guidance to Israel, which has had
to deal with the threat for many years. But in
comparison to the Israelis, the coalition troops have
several key advantages.
Pakistan prepares for the
worst
Pakistan, increasingly concerned that it might be
on the US hit list, is not standing still waiting.
President General Pervez Musharraf is attempting to put
a more acceptable stamp on his government with overtures
to former premier Benazir Bhutto, and he's also ringing
the changes among the top brass of the armed forces. -
Syed Saleem
Shahzad
HEY
JOE
Philippines sits on HIV time
bomb
While the Philippines Department of Health
reports that only 1,503 Filipinos have contracted HIV, a
new book challenges that low figure and shows how
conditions are ripe in this very Catholic nation for
AIDS to spread viciously. - Ted
Lerner
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Russia warns of Iraqi fallout
Moscow has sounded a clear
warning that North Korea and Iran could - given the
events unfolding in their fellow "axis of evil" member
Iraq - be pushed further down the path towards
using weapons of mass destruction. And if anyone should
know, it's Russia. - Sergei Blagov
(Apr 1, '03)
Sun Tzu: The real father of shock and
awe
As
the phrase "shock and awe" becomes part of the media's
lexicon, the roots of the military strategy are found in
a book by 5th century BC Chinese military
philosopher Sun Tzu. Sun's work on war has punctuated
the debate under way since it emerged that Washington's
initial battle plans have not produced the desired
results. (Apr 1, '03)
The new Iraq-bin Laden
connection
Al-Jazeera's broadcast
last month of a speech made by Osama bin Laden was
immediately used by the Bush administration in its
attempt to link Iraq and al-Qaeda. Now, Iraqis are using
the very same speech as motivation for resisting US-led
forces in their country. - B Raman (Mar
31, '03)
ANALYSIS
Could Saddam still
win?
Saddam Hussein's strategy, as is now evident
after more than a week of fighting, is to sacrifice open
spaces but hold urban areas and conduct guerrilla-style
harassment operations in coalition rearguard areas. This
promises a long and bloody war. But defeat under such
circumstances could turn out to be Saddam's ultimate
victory. - Marc Erikson (Mar 28,
'03) | |
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SARS
CRISIS
1.3 billion Chinese in the
dark
The spread of severe acute respiratory
syndrome is making East Asians in particular
quite nervous about the illness that has
infected more than 1,800 people worldwide and
killed more than 60. The tragic irony is that
the country where it originated - China -
has told its people, and the World Health
Organization, next to
nothing. | |
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Euro could outshine
dollar
in
Indonesia
As a US-led war rages in Iraq,
the almighty US dollar is under fire as the
international currency of choice in Indonesia.
Businesses, the central bank and some in
government are eyeing the euro as an
international transaction medium that could be
less volatile in the long term and might carry
less political baggage. - Tony
Sitathan
A watershed moment in India
The Indian government's plan to link
31 of the country's major rivers is ambitious in
the extreme, although the potential benefits
match the grandeur of the venture. Just one
detail. How on earth is New Delhi going to pick
up the US$150 billion tab? - B S
Nagaraj
Market Indices
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WSI
Internet?s Asian franchise expansion soars
WSI
Internet continues its rapid Asian franchise expansion -
amidst record levels of Internet use in
Asia-Pacific.
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FROM OUR
MAILBOX
I am
outraged by the bias that American TV channels like CNN,
MSNBC and Fox News show in their coverage of the war
with Iraq. My American friends are just and well-meaning
people. Opinions about the war are almost equally
divided between the for and against camps.
Unfortunately, the American media are portraying a
one-sided picture of American opinion.
Krishna
Oregon
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