Iraqi's Governing Council Grants Itself New Leadership Role--New WMW

[Gloria]

Full excerpts, links up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


WORLD MEDIA WATCH FOR JUNE 25, 2004

1//The Daily Star, Lebanon--IRAQI’S GOVERNING COUNCIL GRANTS ITSELF NEW LEADERSHIP ROLE (When the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council dissolved itself on June 1 - a month ahead of schedule - it seemed like it was all over for a body that Iraqis widely viewed as too close to the United States. The future seemed especially dim for Ahmed Chalabi, whose office was raided only days earlier by US and Iraqi security forces investigating charges of kidnapping, corruption and robbery. But even as the council's members gave up their seats, they were writing themselves a leading role in the interim government that takes power next week. …"Essentially, the Iraqi Governing Council seems to have granted itself life after death," said Nathan Brown, a professor of political science at George Washington University in Washington. As political players jockey for positions in the government, the selection process is being dominated by members of the former Governing Council - much to the chagrin of Iraqis who had hoped for a more homegrown leadership to emerge.)



2//Asia Times Online, Hong Kong--WE FIGHT, YOU PAY: COSTS OF THE IRAQ WAR (In what it claims is the first comprehensive accounting of the costs of the war on the US, Iraq, and much of the rest of the world, IPS concludes that not only have US taxpayers paid a "very high price for the war", they have also become "less secure at home and in the world". Citing a number of recent studies, the report, "Paying the Price: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War", also notes that the US$151.1 billion that will have been spent through this fiscal year could have paid for comprehensive health care for 82 million US children or the salaries of nearly 3 million elementary school teachers. According to one study cited in the 54-page report, the war and occupation will cost the average US household at least $3,415 through the end of this year.)



3//The Jordan Times, Jordan--REVOLUTIONARY GUARDS ASSERT POLITICAL MUSCLE (The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the zealous protectors of the Islamic Republic who arrested a British naval unit this week, have asserted themselves in recent months as one of the most powerful entities within Iran's complex power structure. The corps is already the most powerful part of the armed forces, and analysts have pointed to several signals that the Guards have been laying claim to a major say over how the 25-year-old Islamic Republic is run…Observers will be closely watching what candidates are approved to stand for president in June 2005. But even before beginning to carve out their own political niche, the Revolutionary Guards have established themselves as a major player in the economy by running anything from trading to public works enterprises.)



4//KurdishMedia, UK--KURDS STILL HOPEFUL AUTONOMY CLAIMS WILL BE RESPECTED(Iraqi Kurds are continuing to look for ways to guarantee that the autonomous status granted Kurdish areas in Iraq’s interim constitution is upheld…The autonomy question appeared to receive a setback when the UN failed to mention the interim constitution in its latest resolution on Iraq sovereignty. The omission sparked an uproar among Iraqi Kurdish parties that has yet to be resolved, despite promises by interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to respect the Transitional Administrative Law.” Americans and their allies inside Iraq did nothing for us, for the Kurdish people, and they ignored us totally." Omar Aziz Kader, a spokesman for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), told RFE/RL his party is worried that Allawi is giving empty promises.)



5//Institute for War and Peace Reporting, UK--GIRLS’ SCHOOLS BECOME TARGETS (…The attempted bombing on May 31 is just the latest in a string of incidents across Afghanistan targeting schools offering an education to girls. Yet in more than three years, police have failed to arrest a single person or to provide any effective security. Edward Carwardine, a press spokesman for the United Nations Children’s Education Fund, Unicef, said the attempted blast in Kabul marked a serious change in strategy compared to previous attacks…The school attacks are part of a wider debate about the role of women in society and their need for education.In the Mohammad Agha district of Logar, where the Moghol Khil school is based, the local mullah, Mir Wais, 27, holds conservative views. "For girls, it is enough if they learn the alphabet," he said. "They don't need more education . They should study in the mosques, to learn how to pray." He then quoted an ancient Afghan proverb, "Woman - either in the home or in the tomb." Mir Wais denied knowing who might be behind the attacks. But not all Islamic teachers agree that women should forgo an education.)

[daleo]

1. In the near future they will probably need this, in more ways than one

"Essentially, the Iraqi Governing Council seems to have granted itself life after death"