

Currently released so far... 12553 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
2011/05/01
2011/05/02
2011/05/03
2011/05/04
2011/05/05
2011/05/06
2011/05/07
2011/05/08
2011/05/09
2011/05/10
2011/05/11
2011/05/12
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy Niamey
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sapporo
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
APECO
ASEC
AMGT
AFIN
APER
ACABQ
AORC
AEMR
AF
AE
AR
AGMT
AU
AY
ABLD
AS
AG
AJ
APCS
AX
AM
AMEX
ATRN
ADM
AMED
AFGHANISTAN
AZ
AL
ASUP
AND
ARM
ASEAN
AFFAIRS
AQ
ATFN
AMBASSADOR
AODE
APEC
ACBAQ
AFSI
AFSN
AO
ABUD
AC
ADPM
ADCO
ASIG
ARF
AUC
ASEX
AGAO
AA
AER
AVERY
AGRICULTURE
AIT
AADP
ASCH
AORL
AROC
ACOA
ANET
AID
AMCHAMS
AINF
AMG
AFU
AN
ALOW
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
ACS
ADANA
AECL
ACAO
AORG
AGR
BEXP
BR
BM
BG
BL
BA
BTIO
BO
BP
BC
BILAT
BK
BU
BD
BRUSSELS
BB
BF
BBSR
BIDEN
BX
BE
BH
BT
BY
BMGT
BWC
BTIU
BN
CA
CASC
CFED
CO
CH
CS
CU
CE
CI
CM
CMGT
CJAN
COM
CG
CIS
CVIS
CR
CKGR
CHR
CVR
COUNTER
CIA
CLINTON
CY
CPAS
CD
CBW
COUNTERTERRORISM
CITEL
CDG
CW
CODEL
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
COE
CN
CARICOM
CB
CONDOLEEZZA
CWC
CACS
CSW
CIDA
CIC
CITT
CONS
CL
CACM
CDB
CDC
CAN
CF
CJUS
CTM
CBSA
CARSON
CT
CLMT
CBC
CEUDA
CV
COPUOS
CTR
CROS
CAPC
CAC
CNARC
CICTE
CBE
ECON
ETRD
EIND
ENRG
EC
ELAB
EAGR
EAID
EFIS
EFIN
EINV
EUN
EG
EPET
EAIR
EU
ELTN
EWWT
ECIN
ERD
EI
ETTC
EUR
EN
EZ
ETC
ENVI
EMIN
ET
ENVR
ER
ECPS
EINT
EAP
ES
ENIV
ECONOMY
EXTERNAL
EINN
EFTA
ECONOMIC
EPA
EXBS
ECA
ELN
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ENGR
ECUN
ENGY
ECONOMICS
ELECTIONS
EIAR
EINDETRD
EREL
EUC
ECONEFIN
EURN
EDU
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ECIP
ENERG
EFIM
EAIDS
EK
ETRDECONWTOCS
EINVETC
ECONCS
EUNCH
ESA
ECINECONCS
EUREM
ESENV
EFINECONCS
ETRC
ENNP
EAIG
EXIM
EEPET
EINVECONSENVCSJA
EUMEM
ETRA
ERNG
ETRO
ETRN
EINVEFIN
ICTY
IN
IS
IR
IC
IZ
IA
INTERPOL
IAEA
IT
IMO
IO
IV
ID
IRAQI
IEA
INRB
IL
IWC
ITU
ICAO
ISRAELI
ICRC
IIP
IMF
IBRD
ISLAMISTS
ITALY
ITALIAN
ILO
IPR
IQ
IRS
IAHRC
IZPREL
IRAJ
IDP
ILC
ITF
ICJ
IF
ITPHUM
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
IACI
IBET
ITRA
INR
IRC
IDA
ICTR
IGAD
INRA
INRO
IEFIN
INTELSAT
INTERNAL
INDO
ITPGOV
KWMN
KSCA
KDEM
KTFN
KIPR
KCRM
KPAL
KE
KPAO
KPKO
KS
KN
KISL
KFRD
KJUS
KIRF
KFLO
KG
KTIP
KTER
KRCM
KTIA
KGHG
KIRC
KU
KPRP
KMCA
KMPI
KSEO
KNNP
KZ
KNEI
KCOR
KOMC
KCFC
KSTC
KMDR
KFLU
KSAF
KSEP
KSAC
KR
KGIC
KSUM
KWBG
KCIP
KDRG
KOLY
KAWC
KCHG
KHDP
KRVC
KBIO
KAWK
KGCC
KHLS
KBCT
KPLS
KREL
KCFE
KMFO
KV
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFTFN
KVPR
KTDB
KSPR
KIDE
KVRP
KTEX
KBTR
KTRD
KICC
KCOM
KO
KLIG
KDEMAF
KMRS
KRAD
KOCI
KSTH
KUNR
KNSD
KGIT
KFSC
KHIV
KPAI
KICA
KACT
KHUM
KREC
KSEC
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCMR
KPIN
KESS
KDEV
KNAR
KNUC
KPWR
KENV
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KPRV
KOM
KBTS
KCRS
KNPP
KWNM
KRFD
KVIR
KTBT
KAID
KRIM
KDDG
KRGY
KHSA
KWMM
KMOC
KSCI
KPAK
KX
KPAONZ
KCGC
KID
KPOA
KIFR
KFIN
KWAC
KOMS
KCRCM
KNUP
KMIG
KNNPMNUC
KERG
KTLA
KCSY
KJUST
MOPS
MARR
MASS
MNUC
MX
MCAP
MO
MR
MI
MD
MK
MA
MP
MY
MTCRE
MOPPS
MASC
MIL
MTS
MLS
MILI
MAR
MU
MEPN
MAPP
MTCR
MEPI
MZ
MEETINGS
MG
MW
MAS
MT
MCC
MIK
ML
MARAD
MV
MERCOSUR
MTRE
MPOS
MEPP
MILITARY
MDC
MQADHAFI
MUCN
MRCRE
MAPS
MEDIA
MASSMNUC
MC
NZ
NZUS
NL
NU
NATO
NP
NO
NIPP
NE
NH
NR
NA
NPT
NI
NSF
NG
NSG
NAFTA
NC
NDP
NEW
NRR
NATIONAL
NT
NS
NASA
NAR
NV
NORAD
NSSP
NK
NPA
NGO
NSC
NATOPREL
NW
NPG
NSFO
OPDC
OTRA
OIIP
OREP
OVIP
OSCE
OEXC
OIE
OPRC
OAS
OPIC
OTR
OMIG
OSAC
OFFICIALS
OECD
OSCI
OBSP
OFDA
OPCW
ODIP
OFDP
OES
OPAD
OCII
OHUM
OVP
ON
OIC
OCS
PHUM
PREL
PGOV
PINR
PTER
PARM
PREF
PM
PE
PINS
PK
PHSA
PBTS
PRGOV
PA
PORG
PP
PS
PGOF
PL
PO
PARMS
PKFK
PSOE
PEPR
PAK
POL
PPA
PINT
PMAR
PRELP
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PBIO
PINF
PNG
PMIL
PFOR
PUNE
PGOVLO
PAO
POLITICS
PHUMBA
PSEPC
PTBS
PCUL
PROP
PNAT
PNR
POLINT
PGOVE
PROG
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PDEM
PECON
PROV
PHUMPREL
PGOC
PY
PCI
PLN
PDOV
PREO
PGIV
PHUH
PAS
PU
POGOV
PF
PINL
POV
PAHO
PRL
PG
PRAM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
POLICY
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PGGV
PHUS
PSA
PHUMPGOV
PEL
PSI
PAIGH
POSTS
PBT
PTERE
RS
RU
RW
RM
RO
RP
REGION
RSP
RF
RICE
RCMP
RFE
RIGHTS
RIGHTSPOLMIL
ROBERT
RUPREL
RELATIONS
ROOD
REACTION
RSO
REPORT
SENV
SNAR
SCUL
SR
SC
SOCI
SMIG
SI
SP
SU
SO
SW
SY
SA
SZ
SAN
SF
SN
STEINBERG
SG
ST
SIPDIS
SNARIZ
SNARN
SSA
SK
SPCVIS
SOFA
SAARC
SL
SEVN
SARS
SIPRS
SHUM
SANC
SWE
SHI
SYR
SNARCS
SPCE
SYRIA
SEN
SH
SCRS
SENVKGHG
TRGY
TSPL
TPHY
TSPA
TBIO
TI
TW
THPY
TX
TU
TS
TZ
TC
TH
TT
TIP
TO
TERRORISM
TRSY
TINT
TN
TURKEY
TBID
TL
TV
TNGD
TD
TF
TP
TFIN
TAGS
TK
TR
UNSC
UK
UNGA
UN
US
UNHRC
UG
UP
UNMIK
UNHCR
UE
USTR
UNVIE
UAE
UZ
UY
UNO
UNESCO
USEU
USOAS
UV
UNODC
UNCHS
UNFICYP
UNEP
UNIDROIT
UNDESCO
UNDP
UNPUOS
UNC
UNAUS
USUN
UNCHC
UNCHR
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCSD
UNDC
USNC
USPS
USAID
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 03OTTAWA2128, MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; MIDDLE EAST; AFRICA;
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #03OTTAWA2128.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
03OTTAWA2128 | 2003-07-25 14:25 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Ottawa |
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 OTTAWA 002128
SIPDIS
STATE FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/PDA
WHITE HOUSE PASS NSC/WEUROPE, NSC/WHA
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP OPRC CA
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; MIDDLE EAST; AFRICA;
ARGENTINA
IRAQ
¶1. "Two down, one to go"
Under the sub-heading, "The good news from Iraq:
There's food in the markets, a new governing council
and Saddam's sons are dead," columnist Margaret Wente
wrote in the leading Globe and Mail (7/24): "As for the
situation in Iraq, I have a hunch it's going better
than the daily dose of woe dished up by the media might
lead us to believe. According to the media, Iraq is
Vietnam, with an all-out guerrilla war, a hostile local
population, anarchy in the streets, and American troops
who are ready to frag the brass.... Don't get me wrong.
Iraq will be a three-Excedrin headache for a long time
to come. Maybe it will all blow up. But please allow me
a tiny scrap of optimism. It could be going a whole lot
worse. And it's probably going a whole lot better than
you'd think if you watched the news."
¶2. "Bush needs the UN"
Editorialist Serge Truffaut wrote in the liberal Le
Devoir (7/24): "This past week, the White House has
been juggling again with the UN. More precisely,
Secretary of State Colin Powell is dueling with the two
SIPDIS
most UN-allergic people, Vice-President Dick Cheney and
his mentor Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Between
the lines, Powell is letting it be known that a new
resolution could be presented to the members of the
Security Council in order to envision a larger
coalition. This about-face is caused by the
difficulties facing the military on the ground and the
interim administration of Paul Bremer.... According to
Bush's legal position, Resolution 1483...allows any
country that so wishes to support the military effort
without rewording the [UN] resolution. France and
Germany, for example, could send troops under the aegis
of NATO. Nothing is less certain or desirable.... More
fundamentally, if an increase in the number of soldiers
is vital for the security of the Iraqis, then the Blair-
Bush duo should take a lower profile while the case is
handed over to the UN."
¶3. "Pacifying Iraq"
Editorialist Julie Lemieux wrote in the centrist Le
Soleil (7/24): "The key to the success of the military
operations in Iraq resides in the ability of the
Americans to raise the standard of living of the Iraqi
people. This won't be achieved as long as the country
remains mired in chaos, violence and crime.... In light
of the difficulties facing the British-American troops
on the grounds, one can wonder if the time has not come
for the Americans to admit they need help. By calling
on Old Europe to create a UN-led neutral coalition, the
U.S. would give itself all the chances in the world of
restoring order in Iraq and helping it recovering its
freedom. For now the Americans still seem to be
considered an occupation force rather than an army of
liberation by a good part of the Iraqi people. But one
could think this scenario would change if the
international community were called upon to play a
greater role."
¶4. "Two troubling questions about Iraq"
Columnist Gilles Paquin wrote in the centrist La Presse
(7/24): "Iraqis are waiting for irrefutable evidence.
After having been fed propaganda for thirty years, we
can understand their skepticism towards the powers that
be.... The evidence unveiled by General Sanchez is
essentially based on the identification of the bodies
by old regime officials detained by the Americans....
It also rests on X-rays that made it possible to
identify old wounds suffered by the two men....
Meanwhile doubts remain.... Iraqis will remember with
bitterness the bragging of American military officials
who claimed to have killed General Ali Hassan al-Majid,
aka Chemical Ali, this past April 7. On June 6,
General Myers admitted the man was still alive."
¶5. "The Failure"
Editorialist Mario Roy wrote in the centrist La Presse
(7/23): "Yesterday Koffi Annan presented to the
Security Council a first report on the post war
situation in Iraq.... Let's not insist too much on the
apparent contradiction between the concern for security
and the desired withdrawal of the only group which can
at the present time insure that security...precisely
because no on else wants to step in. Let's rather focus
on the fact that the debate will center on the
opportunity of voting on a second resolution at the
Security Council (which roughly speaking is wished for
by `Old Europe,' deemed superfluous by the U.S. and put
on hold by the UN). This is more a matter of power
than legal correctness. The point is to extract from
Washington the control over the reconstruction of Iraq,
the flow of money that will be funneled into it and
eventually the important levers for the economic future
of the country. This time, the Americans find
themselves in the position of having to make some
concessions."
¶6. "Better than they deserved"
The conservative National Post opined (7/23): "The U.S.
military turned up two aces in Mosul, Iraq yesterday -
Uday and Qusay Hussein, respectively
the aces of hearts and clubs in the 'most-wanted' card
decks issued to U.S. troops.... Indeed, our single
regret is that the brothers were not taken alive. Uday
and Qusay were spoiled, pampered men who - like most
cruel bullies - would no doubt have spilled out
everything they knew once they found themselves on the
wrong side of the interrogation table. An Iraqi
court might then have passed sentence on them for their
crimes against humanity, and they would have spent the
rest of their lives in jail (assuming an Iraqi mob did
not tear them limb from limb first). Death in battle
was too dignified a fate for these foul human
specimens."
MIDDLE EAST
¶7. "Israel's prisoners dilemma"
The conservative National Post opined (7/24): "Will the
road map to Middle East peace go the way of the Oslo
accords? We hope not. But there are many troubling
signs. Principal among them is Israel's recent
announcement that it may accede to demands to release
several thousand of the roughly 6,000 Palestinian
prisoners held in the nation's jails and detention
centres - even without first obtaining a promise from
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to disarm the
very terrorist groups in whose ranks many of Israel's
prisoners once served.... The Bush administration,
which is pushing Israel to release as many prisoners as
possible, should learn from history.
Israel released 415 members of the terrorist group
Hamas in 1992; many of them returned to the practice of
terror.... There is some room for compromise here. Many
of Israel's Palestinian prisoners are not terror
suspects, and Israel might be able to release these men
without too much risk. Such a gesture would go some way
to validating Mr. Abbas in the eyes of ordinary
Palestinians -a worthy objective given that he is a
sensible man whose loss would set the peace process
back years. Any compromise along these lines will
likely fail to satisfy the Palestinians: They demand
the release of the imprisoned terrorists, too - whom
they refer to euphemistically as 'political prisoners.'
But unless and until Mr. Abbas agrees to liquidate and
disarm the terrorist groups who operate in the West
Bank and Gaza, any talk of releasing Palestinians
implicated in terrorism from Israeli jails is
premature."
AFRICA
¶8. "Bush must not fail to pick up the challenge of
Liberia"
The left-of-center Vancouver Sun (7/23) commented:
"...Intervention in Liberia is a tough call for
President George Bush. His country has no direct
national interest in the country where President
Charles Taylor is under UN indictment for war crimes in
neighbouring Sierra Leone, one of a patchwork
of regional civil wars that include Guinea and Ivory
Coast.... There are good arguments against Americans
being the first on the ground to try to halt the war,
and equally good ones for it to intervene. But the tone
coming from the White House on Liberia is one of dither
and indecision. The U.S. and Liberia have strong
historic links. The country was established in the
1840s as a homeland for freed American slaves.... While
the U.S. may have no direct and contemporary interest
in Liberia, that presents President Bush
with an opportunity. Critics say the U.S. is only using
its pre-eminent military power in its own self-
interest; Liberia could prove that's not so. The U.S.
could show it's willing to shoulder responsibilities
shirked by the UN. It may be the most practical
strategy is for a West African force supported by the
U.S. But president Bush does no favour for either
himself or his country by failing to pick up this
challenge."
ARGENTINA
¶9. "Argentina's popular President"
Foreign affairs columnist Marcus Gee observed in the
leading Globe and Mail (7/24): "When Nestor Kirchner
was elected president of Argentina in May, his chances
of success seemed slim.... Many said that the
colourless 53-year-old with a pronounced lisp was
doomed to become a lame duck. Some duck. Barely
two months later, Mr. Kirchner, who travelled to
Washington this week for his first official meeting
with President George W. Bush, is the most popular man
in his country, with a 75 per cent approval rating.
Promising to bring 'a cold wind of change' from his
chilly southern province, Mr. Kirchner has thrilled the
public by taking on just about every power bastion
in the country. First, he forced most of the military
top brass into early retirement.... Then he forced the
unpopular chief justice to resign. Most inspiring has
been his decision to take on Argentina's unpunished
human-rights abusers.... To make sure that justice is
done, Mr. Kirchner is preparing to repeal a decree that
made it impossible for human-rights violators to be
extradited for trial abroad.... Mr. Kirchner and his
ministers have also indicated they will seek to
overturn two much-disputed 1987 laws that bar the
prosecution of military officers for dirty-war
crimes.... Cynics say that Mr. Kirchner is only making
a fuss about human rights to draw attention away from
the country's present-day troubles, such as the
crippled banking system and the country's $197-billion
debt. But he has a point about impunity. People who
don't face up to the misdeeds of their past are not
likely to be happy or successful in life. Countries are
no different.... A country with a recent past as
terrible as Argentina's cannot just pretend it never
happened. Like a festering wound, the unpunished crimes
of the dirty war have infected the nation, undermining
faith in government and contributing to the deep and
bitter disillusionment that afflicts almost every
Argentine. In his inaugural address, Mr. Kirchner
promised to govern 'without rancour but with memory.'
More power to him."
CELLUCCI