Asia Times - The Middle East

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color="white">Middle East<br> </font><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #003366" color="white">Specials<br>   <br> <a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/Getting_Saddam.html"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/Saddam-small-2.gif" border="0"></a><br> <br> </font> </div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/Osama.html"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/Osama-logo-small-4.gif" border="0"></a></div> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign="top"> <table width="100%" height="31" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" background="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/top_bg.gif"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr align="middle" valign="top"> <td width="25%"> <div align="center"><a 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cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="10"> </td> <td align="left" valign="top" width="510"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="64%" valign="top"><font class="subhead"><strong class="head">Middle East</strong></font></td> <td width="36%"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td height="51" align="middle" valign="center"> <div align="right"><font class="time"><strong> <script language="javascript"> function showDate(){ var monthArray=["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"] var days=["Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday"] var d=new Date(); var month=d.getMonth() var day=d.getDate() var year=d.getYear() // document.write("Today is " + days[d.getDay()] + "<BR>") document.write(monthArray[month]) document.write(" ") document.write(day) document.write(", ") if(d.getYear()<2000){document.write(year+1900)} if(d.getYear()>2000){document.write(year)} } </script> <script language="javascript">showDate()</script> </strong></font> </div> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" border="0" align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <table width="308" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td width="308"><font size="2"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><font size="2"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000" size="2"><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/iraq-header-2.gif" border="0"><br><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><br><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#003399"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak02.html "><strong>Detecting disinformation, without radar</strong></a><font color="#000000"> <br><img hspace="3" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/radar.gif" align="left" vspace="3" border="0">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 ... - </font><strong><font color="#000000">Gregory Sinaisky <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03)</font><br></font><br>THE ROVING EYE</strong></font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak08.html"><strong>Shifting sands, shifting alliances<br></strong></a>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. - <b>Pepe Escobar</b> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03)</font></font><br><br><font color="#000000"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak05.html "><strong>Iran stakes its Iraqi claim</strong></a><br>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. - <b>Hooman Peimani</b> <font color="#999999"><font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03)<br></font> </font><br>    <img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak04.html ">Tehran tests the military waters</a> <br></font></font><br><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak01.html "><strong>West vs East, daggers drawn</strong></a><br>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. <b>- K Gajendra Singh</b> <font color="#999999"><font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03)<br></font> </font></font><br><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak06.html"><strong>Pentagon squares off against Powell, Europe</strong></a><br>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. - <b>Jim Lobe</b> <font color="#999999"><font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03)<font size="2"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><font face="Arial"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><font color="#000000"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff"><br></font></font></font><br><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak07.html"><strong></font></font></font></font></font> </font>Coming to terms with the 'great equalizers'<br></strong></a>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. <font color="#999999"><font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 2, '03) <br></font> </font></font><br><img src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/bestofbe4[1].gif" border="0"><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak03.html "><strong>Rummy's flawed war plan</strong></a><u> <br></u></font><font color="#000000">As US soldiers suffer casualties in Iraq, critics are asking whether these could have been minimized if the military brass had been able to persuade Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to send more troops in the initial stages of the invasion. But not only did "Rummy" not listen to the generals, he did not take steps to avoid risks he himself had identified. <b>- Jason Leopold</b> </font><font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br><br><strong>THE ROVING EYE</strong> </font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak06.html "><strong>From liberation war to jihad</strong></a><br>Ever since last week's suicide bombing in Iraq, the ultra-secular Ba'ath Party of Saddam Hussein has remodeled its national liberation war into a pan-Islamic jihad against the Anglo-American invaders. And jihadis "seeking to find paradise in Iraq" are answering the call in growing numbers. - <b>Pepe Escobar</b> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br></font><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak03.html"><strong><br> </strong></a></font><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#ff0000"><font color="#000000"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak02.html "><strong>Sun Tzu: The real father of 'shock and awe'</strong></a><br>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 a 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. <font size="1"> <font color="#999999">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br></font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/ED02Ag01.html"><strong>Russia warns of Iraqi fallout <br></strong></a>Moscow has sounded a clear warning that North Korea and Iran could, given the events unfolding in their fellow "axis of evil" Iraq, be pushed further down the path towards using weapons of mass destruction. And if anyone should know, it's Russia. - <strong>Sergei Blagov </strong><font size="1"><font color="#999999">(Apr 1, '03)</font></font><br><br><strong><font color="#ff0000">COMMENTARY</font></strong> <br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak05.html"><strong>Iraq vs Vietnam: Similarities and differences</strong></a><br>The longer the war lasts in Iraq, the more the specter of a Vietnam-style quagmire is raised. But while elements of the current campaign resemble those in Vietnam, there is a marked difference in that the American people will unlikely tolerate an engagement lasting too many months, let alone years. - <b>Ehsan Ahrari</b> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 1, '03)</font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED02Ak01.html "><strong><br>Turkey's opposition to war solidifies<br></strong></a>Until recently, some politicians and analysts in Turkey were criticizing the government in Ankara for damaging relations with the US by not granting Washington the use of its territory for the war on Iraq. Today, however, the country appears united in its opposition to the war. <font color="#999999" size="1">(Apr 1, '03)</font></font><br><br><strong>THE ROVING EYE</strong> </font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED01Ak05.html "><strong>The Gaza or Grozny choice</strong></a><br>As war inches toward the streets of Baghdad, and as the fighting takes on ominous undertones - such as suicide bombings - Washington can go for a war of attrition, or it might opt for a scorched-earth policy. The fallout from either approach, though, could be equally devastating. - <strong>Pepe Escobar <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 31, '03)</font><br></strong><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED01Ak01.html "><strong>The new Iraq-bin Laden connection<br></strong></a>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. - <strong>B Raman</strong> <strong><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 31, '03)</font></strong><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED01Ak02.html"><strong>Next up: 'Non-lethal' chemicals that kill<br></strong></a>As the likelihood of street fighting in Baghdad grows, reports have emerged that the US is considering the use of "non-lethal chemical weapons", similar to those used in civilian riot control, and similar to those used in last year's Russian hostage drama, where the weapons proved anything but non-lethal. - <b>David Isenberg</b> <strong><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 31, '03)</font></strong><br><br><font color="#ff0000"><strong>REFLECTIONS</strong></font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED01Ak03.html "><strong>Baghdad, the undying bride of cities<br></strong></a>For now, Baghdad may be besieged in flames, but the pictures and images of this proud city of lights can never fade - neither from history, nor from the mind and heart of <b>Syed Saleem Shahzad</b>. <strong><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 31, '03)</font></strong><br><br></font><strong>ANALYSIS</strong></font> <br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC29Ak01.html"><strong>Could Saddam still win?</strong></a><br>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. - <b>Marc Erikson <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 28, '03)</font></b><br></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font> </font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></p></font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="35%" valign="top"> <table width="184" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="center"> <p> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="red" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"><font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #dcdcdc" color="#ff0000" size="2"><strong>IRAQ BEYOND SADDAM</strong></font> <br><img align="right" border="0" hspace="3" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/tiles.gif" vspace="3"><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC28Ak03.html"><strong><font size="2">Robbing Peter to pay Paul</font><br></strong></a><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 27, '03)<br></font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC27Ak02.html"><strong><font size="2">The day after: Lessons from Afghanistan </font><br></strong></a><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 26, '03)</font><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC26Ak05.html "><strong><font size="2">The lucrative business of rebuilding Iraq</font></strong></a> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 25, '03)</font><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC22Ak03.html"><strong><font size="2">Splits emerge over post-Saddam plan</font></strong></a><br><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 21, '03)</font><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC14Ak03.html"><strong><font size="2">The search for regional security <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 13, '03)</font><br></font></strong></a><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC14Ak02.html"><strong><font size="2">Bush's 'morning after' headache</font></strong></a> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 13, '03)</font><br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC14Ak01.html "><strong><font size="2">Ba'ath Party will need a role</font></strong></a><u><font color="#003399" size="2">  <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 13, '03)<br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC18Ak01.html "><font size="2"><strong>Upheaval, any upheaval, will do</strong></font></a> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 17, '03)<br><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC18Ak02.html "><strong><font size="2">Short-term gain, long-term pain <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 17, '03)</font></font></strong></a></font> </font></font></u></td></tr></table></p> <p> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="red" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"><u><font color="#003399" size="2"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC08Ak01.html"><strong>The Baghdad beat</strong> </a></font></u>  <font color="crimson"><font size="2"><img hspace="3" src="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028im_/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/images/baghdad-lips.gif" align="right" vspace="5" border="0"> <br>(Photo-essay)</font><font size="1"> </font><br></font><font size="2">Their lives are in limbo as they wait for something out of their control to happen. The outcome is a question mark, but meanwhile life must go on. <br>--<strong> Jason Florio</strong> </font><font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar 7, '03)</font> </td></tr></table></p> <p> <table class="" id="table1" style="WIDTH: 191px; HEIGHT: 414px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="191" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="darkorange" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"> <p align="left"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><font color="#000000"><strong><font color="red" size="2">SPEAKING FREELY<br></font></strong><font color="#000000"><font size="2"><strong>An occasional column in which guest writers have<br>their say. <br><br></strong><font color="#000000"></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><font size="2"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED03Ak03.html "><strong>The myth of the 'bogged down' war<br></strong></a>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.<strong></font><font size="2"> - Geoffrey Sherwood <br></font></strong></font></font><font size="2"><br><strong>(Please </strong></font><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/DK29Aa01.html"><strong><font size="2">click here</font> </strong></a><strong><font size="2">if you are interested in contributing.)</font> </strong></font></p></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></font></td></tr></table><br> <table class="" id="table1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" border="3"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="red" align="left" bgcolor="gainsboro" height="0"><font size="2"><font color="#ff0000"><strong>BOOK REVIEW</strong></font><br><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EC29Ak03.html"><strong>Americans from Mars, Europeans from Venus</strong></a><br><i><b>Of Paradise and Power, America and Europe in the New World Order</b></i>, by <b>Robert Kagan</b><br>In a timely book, Kagan explores how Europe favors peaceful responses to international problems, preferring negotiation, diplomacy and persuasion to coercion, while America prefers to resort to force more often, and is less patient with diplomacy. The author's solution to the problem that this divide is causing might not go down too well in "old Europe". - <strong>Sreeram Chaulia</strong> </font></td></tr></table><br> <table class="" id="table1" style="WIDTH: 191px; HEIGHT: 207px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="3" width="191" align="center" border="2"> <tr> <td class="" valign="top" bordercolor="navy" align="left" bgcolor="linen" height="0"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="2"><font color="navy">THE AMERICAN EMPIRE</font><br></font></strong><br>A series by <strong>Francesco Sisci</strong> <font color="#999999" size="1">(Oct, '02)<img align="right" border="0" hspace="1" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes/images/emperor.gif" vspace="1"> <br><br></font><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ16Ak01.html"><font size="2">Part 1: Reluctant hegemon</font></a><br><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ17Ak04.html "><font size="2">Part 2: Righteous king</font></a><br><img hspace="0" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/arrow.gif" border="0"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/DJ18Ak02.html"><font size="2">Part 3: The fear within</font></a></td></tr></table> </p> </td> </tr> </table> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> </table> <table width="191" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" bordercolor="#ff9900" style="WIDTH: 191px; HEIGHT: 185px"> <tr> <td align="middle" valign="top" bgcolor="#fdf0c6"> <table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><img height="5" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/1pix.gif" width="1"></td> </tr> <tr> <td> <div align="center"><img height="22" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/images/f_images/rovingeye.gif" width="174"><br> </div> </td> </tr> </table> <div align="center"></div> <table width="174" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" style="WIDTH: 174px; HEIGHT: 120px"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <p align="left"><br> <a class="links" href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/iran_diary.html"><font size="2">Iran D</font></a><font size="2"><a href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/iran_diary.html" target="_blank"></a><a class="links" href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/iran_diary.html">ia</a><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028/http://192.168.9.94/atimes/others/iran_diary.html" target="_blank"></a></font><a class="links" href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/iran_diary.html"><font size="2">ry</font></a><br> <font size="2">A 9-part series by <strong>Pepe Escobar.</strong>  <font color="#999999" size="1">(May-June, '02)</font> </font> <br> <br> <a class="links" href="/web/20030402125028/http://atimes.com/atimes/others/iraq_diary.html"><font size="2">Iraq Diary</font></a><br> <font size="2"><strong>Escobar</strong> documents his travels in Iraq.  <font color="#999999" size="1">(Mar-Apr,  '02)</font> </font> </p> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <p> </p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </table> <br> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="65%" valign="top"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20030402125028/http://www.milligazette.com/" target="_blank"><strong><img hspace="15" src="/web/20030402125028im_/http://atimes.com/atimes//images/milligazette-banner.gif" vspace="5" border="0"></strong></a></td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="10" valign="top" 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