Is the Catholic Church – and specifically the revered deceased Pope John Paul II, as deadly as al-Qaeda and its now-dead leader, Osama bin Laden? Columnist Patrick Etschmayer of Switzerland’s News writes that between outlawing condoms and covering up decades of child abuse, the former pope did at least as much damage as the terrorist mastermind now residing at the bottom of the Persian Gulf. For Switzerland’s News, Patrick Etschmayer writes in part: Over recent days, two faces...

In a world where nothing is private and the most vulgar images and ideas are bandied about with little concern, is there a place for keeping photos like that of the death of Osama bin Laden private? Der Tagesspiegel columnist Juliane Schauble writes that when it comes to holding the moral high ground on the public’s right to know, President Obama is a cut about George W. Bush. For Der Tagesspiegel, Juliane Schauble writes in part: People have become accustomed to seeing brutal, blood-soaked...

Is bin Laden’s death, coupled with the Arab uprisings, the ‘true beginning of the end for the radical, medieval, imperial and dictatorial ideas with which al-Qaeda proposed to reorganize the world’? Columnist Bartosz Weglarczyk of Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza writes that with its safe havens quickly disaapearing and its ideology falling into widespread repute, the writing is on the wall for al-Qaeda. For the Gazeta Wyborcza, Bartosz Weglarczyk writes in part: In the fight...

Here’s the latest bit of news/conspiracy to come out of the Pakistan press about the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden. Is the reason the Obama Administration decided not to release the death photo of bin Laden because the terrorism pioneer blew himself up to avoid capture? That is the claim of this news item from Pakistan’s The Nation, which cites an anonymous senior Afghanistan intelligence official who asserts that he has been in ‘frequent contact’ with U.S. Special...

Is the death of Osama bin Laden the beginning of the end of al-Qaeda? Ahmad Abdal Aziz Al Jarallah, editor and chief of Kuwait’s Al-Seyassah, writes that the terror group is about to disintegrate, and its members will soon face justice, if not in this world, then the next. For Al-Seyassah, Ahmad Abdal Aziz Al Jarallah writes in part: The world breathed a sigh of relief at the killing of the man who believed in the theory of uniting behind terrorism to justify hideous acts forbidden by Islam....

Is it wrong for the United States to keep the last photograph of Osama bin Laden to itself? Olivier Picard of France’s Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace writes that compared to the state interests of America and its allies, the desire of people around the world to see it, in the words of Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, amount to little more than a hill of beans. For Les Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, Olivier Picard writes in part: This is a frustrating planet. The ultra-informed...

Our nation by nation look at the end of Osama bin Laden continues in Mexico. Just like many people in the United States, people in other nations are wondering if the operation to eliminate Osama bin Laden will weaken the right-wing onslaught against President Obama. For Mexico’s Excelsior, political analyst Jose Luis Valdes Ugalde writes that the U.S. right-wing attack machine has been shocked into embracing Mr. Obama’s prowess as commander in chief, but how long that will last remains...

One of the many articles we’ve posted from Pakistan over the last few days is this editorial from the Frontier Post. After the U.S. raid into Pakistani territory to grab and/or kill Osama bin Laden, it seems that people there are simultaneously angry at the U.S. for coming unannounced and uninvited, and at Pakistan’s military and intelligence services for not stopping the U.S. raid – and not knowing that bin Laden was apparently right under their noses for years. The Frontier...

Is the war on terrorism a scam in which governments pretend to battle evil only to cover their own sins? In our second offering from the Saudis today, Al-Madina’s Dr. Saeed Atia al-Ghamedee writes that while deluded young men destroy themselves for a perverted version of Islam, governments commit every sort of crime in the name of battling terror. For Al-Madina, Dr. Saeed Atia al-Ghamedee writes in part: A Muslim needs to be strong and intelligent and have the courage of his convictions –...

The next stop in our global journey to find out what the rest of the world thinks of Osama bin Laden’s apparent death is China. So what do the masters of Beijing think of the demise of America’s most wanted? According to this article by columnist Zhang Guoqing for the state-controlled Beijing Youth Daily, this is no time for the U.S. to rest on its laurels. Zhang writes that bin Laden’s death simply opens a new chapter in the battle against terrorism, which will be characterized...

Osama bin Laden may now be physically dead, but was the movement he spawned already as good as dead when he expired? According to columnist Ghasan Charbel of Saudi Arabia’s Dar al-Hayat, Arabs and Muslims have come a long way since September 11 – and they haven’t walked in bin Laden’s direction. For Dar al-Hayat, Ghasan Charbel writes in part: Bin Laden had lost the battle before he was killed. He lost it in Saudi Arabia where he attempted to destabilize the country. His...

Stepping away briefly from the planetary reaction to the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden [please log-in for continuing international reaction to that story], this article from Germany shows again how interesting it can be to see oneself through the eyes of others. Unfortunately, in the case of Donald Trump, what those others happen to see is nothing short of alarming. For Der Spiegel, columnist Marc Pitzke warns his readers that if they thought the 2008 U.S. presidential race was nasty,...

Continuing with our global roundup of reaction to bin Laden’s death – does the apparent demise of Osama bin Laden signify the death knell of Islamist Jihadism? For Spain’s El Pais, columnist Liuis Bassets writes that President Obama has not only assured is own reelection, he has given what has been called a ‘war on terror’ its crowning achievement. For El Pais, Liuis Bassets writes in part: After several sad months lacking in global leadership and strength from Washington,...

While Osama bin Laden may have been killed yesterday afternoon, was the movement he spawned already dead? As part of our coverage of the global reaction to the terror master’s demise, for Brazil’s Folha, columnist Sergio Malbergier writes that he bin Laden died first with the Arab uprisings, and died again yesterday. For Brazil’s Folha, Sergio Malbergier writes in part Far more than the Quran, Facebook is what has captured the attention and guides young Arab revolutionaries today. In...

The Obama Administration claims that all the evidence against ‘detainees’ held at Guantanamo was reevaluated when it took office, and that some Bush Administration decisions were reversed. Nevertheless, according to Die Zeit columnist Martin Klingst, the release of the ‘Guantanamo papers’ by WikiLeaks makes it imperative for President Obama to follow a course of ‘complete public disclosure.’ For Die Zeit, Martin Klingst writes in part: These WikiLeaks documents...

With the WikiLeaks release of another data bomb of classified U.S. files, this one about Guantanamo, allies and adversaries alike are expressing shock at President Obama’s failure to close the facility. This editorial from Spain’s El Pais expresses dismay at what it regards as his betrayal of all those around the world who supported his election. The editorial from El Pais says in part: These reports on over 700 prisoners, many of whom were taken to Guantanamo arbitrarily and in some...

Will the free trade deal recently agreed to by the Colombia and the White House actually hurt Colombia? According to this roundup of Colombian reaction by columnist Antonio Caballero of Semana, some Colombians sense a ‘whiff of imperialism’ in concessions that force Colombia to protect trade unionists, which will diminish the one real trade advantage Colombia has – cheap labor. For Semana, Antonio Caballero writes in part: Taking suspicion to its logical extreme, it’s not...

Has Standard & Poor’s opened the floodgates for further criticism of America’s credit worthiness? Writing for Poland’s Gazeta Wyborcza Business, analyst Alfred Adamiec points out that while downgrading the outlook for U.S. debt is closer to reflecting reality, reticence to actually downgrade U.S. debt shows that the world has yet to emerge from the financial crisis. For Gazeta Wyborcza Business, Alfred Adamiec writes in part: Up to now, the economic situation in the United...

Is Washington applying double standards when involving itself in the ever-growing number of Arab uprisings? Is it too involved or not involved enough? It’s a maddening foreign policy conundrum if there ever was one. Asserting that helping Syria’s opposition topple their regime is in keeping with America’s heritage, Dr. Abdul Rahman Mubarak al-Dusari, for Kuwait’s Al-Seyassah, writes that it behooves the United States to live up to its advertising, and help Syrians remove...

Was the Standard & Poor’s warning about the reliability of U.S. debt just the medicine American lawmakers needed. According to this editorial from Germany’s Financial Times Deutschland, S&P’s warning was just what the money doctor ordered. The Financial Times Deutschland editorial says in part: “The signal is a dramatic one: Standard & Poor’s is the first major credit rating agency to threaten to downgrade America’s credit. It’s not the first warning...

Is Mexico, in the words of La Jornada columnist Jorge Camil, “witnessing the beginning of a dangerous expansion of U.S. military activity in Mexico and Central America”? In this column, Camil chastises Mexico’s Senate for allowing unmanned U.S. drone flights and warns readers that their use signals that Mexico is rapidly losing control of its territory to the U.S. and the drug cartels. For Mexico’s La Jornada, Jorge Camil writes in part: Over recent days, we’ve learned...

Is it time for the U.S. to drop its geostrategic calculations and back Bahrainis in their quest for freedom? For Sotal Iraq, columnist Hassan al-Ansaari honors democracy activist Maryam Alkhawaja for challenging Hillary Clinton and writes that it is time for the Obama Administration to drop its double standards and stand by the people of Bahrain. For Sotal Iraq (the Voice of Iraq), Hassan al-Ansaari writes in part: To Mrs. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State for the Nation of Freedom: Do you work...

As a country with its own history of opposing Western imperialism, is there a kind of kinship between China and Qaddafi’s Libya? Reporting from Libya, correspondent Gu Di of China’s state-controlled Huanqiu advises the country about how to deal with the West going forward, and describes Qaddafi’s situation as a cautionary tale for other leaders: Don’t assume that making amends with the West will guarantee your safety. For Huanqiu, Gu Di writes in part: China, as a neutral...

For those seeking to understand the growing suspicion in Mexico that the “drug war” is being used as a pretext for U.S. intervention if not outright invasion, this article by Gilberto Lopez y Rivas of Mexico’s La Jornada will undoubtedly prove illuminating. This is history from a Mexican point of view – and it is anything but flattering to the the United States. For La Jornada, Gilberto Lopez y Rivas writes in part: Mexico is the only developing capitalist country with a...

This editorial from Brazil’s O Globo demonstrates again how important American economic soundness and foreign policy is to the rest of the world. Commenting on foreign affairs and the spectacle now taking place in Washington over the budget, O Globo takes a look at what it will take for President Obama to win in 2012, and suggests that if his more multilateral foreign policy proves a failure, a return to Bush-style unilateralism is likely to ensue. The O Globo editorial says in part: In his...