In an effort to ‘retrospectively legitimize’ their own policies, are neoconservatives wrongly comparing the Libya campaign to the Iraq War? Columnist Liuis Bassets of Spain’s El Pais writes that Spain’s former president and Bush ally José María Aznar is wrong – as are the rest of the neocons – to see Obama’s policies as some form of approval. For Spain’s El Pais, Liuis Bassets writes in part: The neocons applaud him, the radical left criticizes...

Who is more to blame for the murder of 10 U.N. workers killed after U.S. Pastor Terry Jones burned a Quran: The people who committed the murders or Terry Jones himself? For Poland’s Rzeczpospolita, columnist Jerzy Haszczynski expresses the view that what the world needs most is for Muslims to condemn the criminal behavior of people who killed innocents for the misbehavior of one U.S. pastor. For Rzeczpospolita, Jerzy Haszczynski writes in part: This makes us acutely aware that we live in a...

Some things are so far out, it’s hard to believe they’re true. Like when a broadcaster in one of the most open, liberal countries in the world bans episodes of a TV show like The Simpsons as a public safety measure. But according to an incredulous Patrick Etschmayer, Swiss Radio and Television [SRF] has done precisely that. For Switzerland’s News, Patrick Etschmayer writes in part: After the reactor disaster in Fukushima, SRF’s first precautionary measure was to censure those...

Is it possible that in this case at least, the Beijing government version of the middle way is best for Libya? This editorial from China’s state-run Global Times lays out a convincing case for why it’s time for laying down weapons and launching talks, leading to a safe exit for Qaddafi and a process that puts Libyans on a track toward genuine nationhood. The Global Times editorial says in part: Qaddafi has resisted more than ten days of air raids and recaptured two cities, setting...

Is the West in Libya once again getting involved with tribal and sectarian disputes beyond its understanding? That is the message of this editorial from Pakistan’s Frontier Post, which outlines what is likely to happen as the ‘eastern revolutionaries’ close in on Tripoli – with NATO support. The Frontier Post editorial says in part: It’s more than apparent now: The Western adventurists are in Libya for regime change, not to protect civilians, which is what they were...

Is it even possible that the Libyan conflict will end well? For Brazil’s Folha, columnist Joao Pereira Coutinho writes that whatever its intentions, there is a very strong likelihood that the latest Western quagmire has just begun. For Folha, Joao Pereira Coutinho writes in part: The first decade of the 21st century was marked by Western effort to combat terrorism by fundamentalists. That’s why, at a minimum, it would be disastrous if the intervention in Libya, organized to remove...

Is U.S. enthusiasm for Chile as a model for other nations in Latin America bad for Chile? For Chile’s La Tercera, columnist Carlos Ominami writes that while it was great to host President Obama, the perception that Chile is a ‘good pupil’ of Washington also makes it appear to Chile’s neighbors that it is a ‘a bad colleague, obsequious toward the teacher and disdainful toward the rest of the class.’ For La Tercera, Carlos Ominami writes in part: Chile, unfortunately,...

While President Obama was visiting El Salvador – it seems that the people of that country had a few other things on their minds. One of them being: Are Hugo Chavez and his closest Latin American allies worried that if Libyan dictator Mohummar Qaddafi is toppled, their own populations might take note of the precedent? For El Salvador’s El Mundo, Dr. Mauricio E. Colorado writes that President Chavez’ erratic behavior and wild charges against the United States show that he’s...

After China abstained on U.N. authorization for a no-fly zone over Libya, this article from the state-controlled Beijing Youth Daily examines why, after decades of almost unilateral decision-making, Washington is letting France take the lead in operations against Muammar Qaddafi’s forces. Beijing academic Zhang Guoqing concludes that the unpopular President Sarkozy is hoping to demonstrate strength to ensure reelection, and President Obama wants to shield himself from another Iraq-style embarrassment. For...

It’s a long standing complaint across Latin America: Who gave the people of the United States the exclusive right to call themselves ‘Americans’? With President Obama on a state visit to Chile, columnist Orlando Alfonso Olave of Chile’s La Nacion exhorts his compatriots to take back a word that he asserts belongs just as much to Latin Americans as it does to people living north of the Mexican border. For Chile’s La Nacion, Orlando Alfonso Olave writes in part: In...

As one of the first public disagreements between President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shows, Russians are split on the wisdom of imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. Rossiyskaya Gazeta columnist Yevgeniy Shestakov warns those who were hoping for a Russian veto of the U.N. Security Council resolution on Libya, that had Moscow done so, the consequences would have been extremely damaging both in terms of reputation and economics. This isn’t Afghanistan with its endless...

What is the ‘international community.’ Does it represent nations working things out in concert, or is it closer to pure fiction? Columnist Olivier Picard of France’s Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace laments that the events of the past few days reflect the sad truth of the politics of our fast-globalizing world. For the Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, Olivier Picard writes in part: We knew that the ‘international community’ didn’t exist; that it was merely...

Greatly overshadowed by the ongoing crisis in Japan and the imposition of a no-fly zone over Libya, President Obama has been on his first visit to Brazil and its first woman president, Dilma Rousseff. This news item from Brazil’s O Globo reports that while the mood music was great, actual progress on issues of importance to Brazil were very thin on the ground. For Brazil’s O Globo, reporters Eliane Oliveira, Gerson Camarotti and Regina Alvarez write in part: President Barack Obama’s...

While natural or man-made disasters rarely have a lasting impact on the global economy, Financial Times Deutschland columnist Thomas Fricke warns that there is a good chance that, as with the tremendous loss of confidence in the banking system in 2008, the tragedy in Japan could trigger an extremely damaging loss of confidence in the global energy supply – leading to yet another global recession. For the Financial Times Deutschland, Thomas Fricke writes in part: Experts are most in demand...

Days ago, the countries of the G-7 stepped in to rescue the yen from its counter-intuitive appreciation since the great earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis struck. According to this editorial from Japan’s Akita Sakigake Shimpo, such prompt action from American, British, Canadian and European central banks was a very positive sign not only for Japan, but for the entire global economy. The Akita Sakigake Shimpo editorial says in part: It was a swift response. During an emergency conference...

How dramatically will Japan’s nuclear catastrophe affect the rest of the world? According to this editorial from Germany’s Die Welt, to address the ever-growing dangers and fears of nuclear power will require at least as much time, dedication and money as the developed world has spent on securing itself from terrorism since September 11, 2001. The Die Welt editorial says in small part: The earthquake of March 11, 2011 was no terrorist attack. But its political and psychological impact...

As the struggle continues at Japan’s malfunctioning nuclear plants, this news item from Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun looks at the challenges being faced by Japanese and international rescuers as they scramble to save as many lives as possible in the aftermath of last week’s incredible tsunami. The article from Japan’s Mainichi Shimbum says in part: In the earthquake-affected areas of northeastern Japan, many communities remain cut off from the outside world, with no access to...

After three disasters of such monumental proportions, Japanese newspapers are urging people to bind together to help those most in need, and expressing thanks to people around the world for coming to their aid. This editorial from the Akita Sakigake Shimpo, from Japan’s main island just south of the disaster zone, urges people to help others and take heart that they are not alone. The editorial from the Akita Sakigake Shimpo says on part: We would like to extend our very sincere prayers to...

What’s the connection between the women of Rio’s Carnival and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg? For Brazil’s O Globo, Mônica Geraldi Valentim writes that even if women have become more financially independent in recent decades, the lengths to which they’ll go to look attractive is proof that catching a mate still requires good old-fashioned thin waists, full lips and silky hair; and for a man, what still counts most is a nicely-stuffed bank account. For Brazil’s O...

With President Obama about to travel to Brazil [March 19], it looks as though Brazil’s new president may be keen to show a change in direction in regard to Iran and the United States. Days ago, off of the radar screen of most of the world, Brazil’s new government took the bold decision to dissociate itself from its past policy of looking the other way when Tehran commits human rights abuses by holding a lunch with Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian dissident Shirin Ebadi. This editorial...