[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News, September 21, 2006

[Robert Naiman]

Just Foreign Policy News
September 21, 2006
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/index.html

Summary:
U.S.
In his UN speech, Chavez urged Americans to read Chomsky's book,
"Hegemony or Survival," to become aware of the dangerous policies of
the Bush Administration.  He also referred to President Bush as "the
devil." Some said he sought to counter Bush's campaign against Iran,
like one who distracts the bull, shouting, "Over here!" Others said he
wanted to promote Chomsky's book, but feared that without something
flashy he would not generate headlines like, "Chavez urges Americans
to read Chomsky."

World opinion does not favor aggressive international measures to stop
Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to a BBC poll. Asked
what the international community should do if Iran continues to
produce nuclear fuel, the most popular approach is using only
diplomatic efforts (39%), while only 11% favor military strikes. In no
country are military strikes supported by more than one in three. (US:
21%.) Economic sanctions garner only 30% support. (US: 45%.) In two
European countries taking the lead in dealing with Iran, majorities
oppose doing more than pursuing diplomatic approaches: France (54%)
and Great Britain (53%).

The Department of Justice backed away Wednesday from a denial by
Attorney General Gonzales of responsibility for the treatment of a
Canadian seized by American authorities in 2002. The man was deported
to Syria, where he was imprisoned and beaten.

The Bush administration had to empty its secret prisons and transfer
terror suspects to the military-run detention centre at Guantánamo in
part because CIA interrogators had refused to carry out further
interrogations and run the secret facilities, according to former CIA
officials, the Financial Times reports.

Iran
Iran's President said today his country would be willing to negotiate
over a suspension of its nuclear program under "fair" and "just"
conditions, terms Iranian officials have generally used to mean
withdrawal of the threat of UN sanctions.

Over the objections of the administration and Jewish groups that
boycotted the event, President Ahmadinejad squared off with the
nation's foreign policy establishment, parrying with members of the
Council on Foreign Relations, then asking whether they were simply
shills for the Bush administration.

"By causing war and conflict, some are fast expanding their
domination, accumulating greater wealth, while others endure poverty,"
President Ahmadinejad said in his speech to the General Assembly
yesterday. "Some seek to rule the world relying on weapons and threats
while others live in poverty. Some occupy the homelands of others,
interfering in their affairs and controlling their oil and resources,
while others are bombarded daily in their own homes, their children
murdered in the streets."

The US and its partners have set another deadline in hopes that Iran
will agree to terms paving the way for substantive talks on its
nuclear program. Under the plan, Iran will have until early October to
agree to suspend its nuclear activities as the negotiations take
place, the Washington Post reports.

Iraq
A UN report said 5,106 people in Baghdad died violent deaths in July &
August, a number far higher than in reports that have relied on
figures from the city's morgue.

Attacks against U.S. troops have increased since al-Qaeda in Iraq's
new leader urged insurgents to target American forces, a U.S. military
spokesman said Wednesday.

A Pentagon assessment finds an overwhelming majority of Iraq's Sunni
Muslims support the insurgency fighting U.S. troops and the Iraqi
government, ABC reports.

Torture may be worse now in Iraq than under former leader Saddam
Hussein, the UN's chief anti-torture expert says.

Palestine
The Bush administration expressed support Wednesday for efforts by
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to establish a national unity
government with Hamas, but said the US would continue to withhold aid
from the Palestinian Authority.

IMF-World Bank
The World Bank and IMF are poorly suited to lead the flow of aid to
Africa, which would be more effective if it was distributed in line
with a nation's needs, not competing donor interests, a U.N. agency
said.

In this issue:
U.S.
1) Chavez urges Americans to read Chomsky
2) BBC Poll Shows Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Cause Concern, But People
Want a Negotiated Settlement
3) Justice Dept. Amends Remark on Torture Case
4) CIA 'Refused to Operate' Secret Jails
Iran
5) Iranian Leader Drops Hints on Nuclear Halt
6) Iran's Leader Relishes 2nd Chance to Make Waves
7) Iran Who? Venezuela Takes the Lead in a Battle of Anti-U.S. Sound Bites
8) Early October New Deadline for Iran
Iraq
9) U.N. Finds Baghdad Toll Far Higher Than Cited
10) Since Threat, Attacks on U.S. Troops Have Risen
11) Insurgency Gains Alarming Support Among Iraq's Sunni Muslims
12) Iraq torture 'worse after Saddam'
Palestine
13) U.S. Supports Abbas in Bid to Assemble Unity Cabinet
IMF-World Bank
14) World Bank, IMF unsuited for Africa aid-U.N. agency

Contents:
U.S.
1) Chavez urges Americans to read Chomsky
Speech to the UN General Assembly, September 20, 2006
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/index.html#chavez
(links to video, English and Spanish text)
In his speech at the UN General Assembly, President Chavez of
Venezuela urged Americans and others to read Noam Chomsky's book,
"Hegemony or Survival," to become more aware of the dangers of the
imperial ambitions of the Bush Administration.
He also referred to President Bush as "the devil," drawing much press
interest. Two theories quickly emerged concerning the Venezuela's
president's strategy. One theory was that he sought to counter Bush's
campaign to prepare public opinion for a military strike against Iran,
like the bullfight employee who runs on to the field to protect the
downed matador by waving his arms and shouting, "Over here!" The other
was that he really wanted to promote Chomsky's book, but feared that
even with his stature, without pounding the podium he would not be
able to generate headlines like, "Chavez urges Americans to read
Chomsky."

2) BBC Poll Shows Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Cause Concern, But People
Want a Negotiated Settlement
Thursday September 21st, 2006
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/247.php
World opinion does not favor aggressive international measures to stop
Iran from developing nuclear weapons, according to a new 25-nation
opinion poll conducted for BBC World Service, including the USA, the
UK and Iraq. The findings show that only one citizen in five (17%),
across the 25 countries, believe that Iran is producing nuclear fuel
strictly for energy needs, while 60 percent assume that Iran is also
trying to develop nuclear weapons. Asked what the international
community should do if Iran continues to produce nuclear fuel, the
most popular approach is using only diplomatic efforts (39%), while
only 11 percent favor military strikes.

Even if Iran continues to produce nuclear fuel, very few people favor
the UN Security Council authorizing "a military strike against Iran's
nuclear facilities." On average only 11 percent favor such strikes and
in no country is this more than one in three. The highest levels of
support were found in Iraq (34%), Israel (30%), and the US (21%). Even
the idea of imposing economic sanctions garners only modest support –
on average it is supported by 30%. The most popular approach is using
'only diplomatic efforts' – on average this is supported by 39%.
Combining the two assertive forms of dealing with Iran—military
strikes and economic sanctions--in only five countries does a majority
favor the UN Security Council authorizing either of these. These are
the US (military strikes 21%, sanctions 45%), Iraq (military strikes
34%, sanctions 29%), Israel (military strikes 30%, sanctions 32%),
Canada (military strikes 13%, sanctions 39%), and Australia (military
strikes 8%, sanctions 44%). On average, 41 percent favor either of
these assertive approaches.

Especially notable is that in two of the three European countries
taking the lead in dealing with Iran, majorities also oppose doing
more than pursuing diplomatic approaches: France (54%) and Great
Britain (53%).

3) Justice Dept. Amends Remark on Torture Case
Scott Shane, New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/americas/21canada.html
In an embarrassing turnabout, the Department of Justice backed away
Wednesday from a denial by Attorney General Gonzales of responsibility
for the treatment of a Canadian seized by American authorities in
2002. The man was deported to Syria, where he was imprisoned and
beaten. Asked Tuesday about a Canadian commission's finding that the
man was wrongly sent to Syria and tortured there, Gonzales replied,
"Well, we were not responsible for his removal to Syria." He added,
"I'm not aware that he was tortured."

The attorney general's comments caused puzzlement because they
followed front-page news articles of the findings of the Canadian
commission. It reported that based on inaccurate information from
Canada about the man's supposed terrorist ties, American officials
ordered him taken to Syria, an action documented in public records.
AJustice Department spokesman said Wednesday Gonzales had intended to
make only a narrow point: deportations are now handled by the
Department of Homeland Security, not the Department of Justice. The
spokesman said the attorney general forgot that at the time of the
deportation, such matters were still handled by the INS, which was
part of the Department of Justice.

4) CIA 'Refused to Operate' Secret Jails
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0921-07.htm
Guy Dinmore, Financial Times, Thursday, September 21, 2006

The Bush administration had to empty its secret prisons and transfer
terror suspects to the military-run detention centre at Guantánamo in
part because CIA interrogators had refused to carry out further
interrogations and run the secret facilities, according to former CIA
officials. When Bush announced the suspension of the secret prison
program, some thought he was trying to gain political momentum before
the November elections. The administration explained its decision in
light of the legal uncertainty surrounding permissible interrogation
techniques after the June Supreme Court ruling that all terrorist
suspects in detention were entitled to protection under Common Article
3 of the Geneva Conventions.

But former CIA officials said Bush's hand was forced because
interrogators had refused to continue their work until the legal
situation was clarified because they were concerned they could be
prosecuted for using illegal techniques. Senior officials and Bush
himself have come close to admitting this by saying CIA interrogators
sought legal clarity. But no official has confirmed on the record how
and when the secret programme actually came to an end.

Iran
5) Iranian Leader Drops Hints on Nuclear Halt
John O'Neil, New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/middleeast/22irancnd.html
Iran's President said today his country would be willing to negotiate
over a suspension of its nuclear program under "fair" and "just"
conditions, terms Iranian officials have generally used to mean
withdrawal of the threat of UN sanctions. The chances sanctions will
be imposed look increasingly remote, because of opposition from China
and Russia, each of which has a veto in the UN Security Council.
President Chirac of France suggested this week that talks could begin
if Iran agrees to a temporary halt in enrichment, while the threat of
sanctions is set aside during negotiations. Ahmadinejad's remarks
seemed to suggest that Iran might give EU negotiators what they want
if they gave Iran what it wants first. Ahmadinejad denied Tehran was
seeking security guarantees, or a promise that the Bush administration
would refrain from military action against it. "We are able to protect
ourselves," he said.

6) Iran's Leader Relishes 2nd Chance to Make Waves
David E. Sanger, New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/middleeast/21iran.html
When President Bush decided to allow President Ahmadinejad into the
country to address the UN, the strategy was simple: containment.
[Under the UN hosting agreement, the US is required to allow safe
passage to the UN to foreign officials for UN business. - JFP] There
would be no opportunities, beyond his speech to the General Assembly,
to turn questions about his nuclear intentions into repeated diatribes
about America's nuclear arsenal. But yesterday evening, over the
objections of the administration and Jewish groups that boycotted the
event, Ahmadinejad squared off with the nation's foreign policy
establishment, parrying questions with two dozen members of the
Council on Foreign Relations, then ending the evening by asking
whether they were simply shills for the Bush administration.

7) Iran Who? Venezuela Takes the Lead in a Battle of Anti-U.S. Sound Bites
Helene Cooper, New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/21speeches.html
Ahmadinejad's speech (video, real player):
http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/ga/61/ga060919pm.rm?start=04:34:40&end=05:05:40
Ahmadinejad's speech (Text, English):
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/iran-e.pdf
Other speeches:
http://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/gastatement19.shtml

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran lost the much-hyped war of words
waged against President Bush at the General Assembly. A stealth
opponent swooped in and took the prize. Speaking on Wednesday from the
same lectern Bush had occupied the day before, President Chávez of
Venezuela announced, to gasps and even giggles: "The devil came here
yesterday, right here…It smells of sulfur still today, this table that
I am now standing in front of."

Hours before, Ahmadinejad took issue with the great Satan, too. But
where Chávez was Khrushchevian, waving around books, Ahmadinejad was
flowery, almost Socratic in his description of behavior that only the
devil would condone. "By causing war and conflict, some are fast
expanding their domination, accumulating greater wealth, while others
endure poverty," Ahmadinejad said. "Some seek to rule the world
relying on weapons and threats while others live in poverty. Some
occupy the homelands of others, interfering in their affairs and
controlling their oil and resources, while others are bombarded daily
in their own homes, their children murdered in the streets."

8) Early October New Deadline for Iran
Suspension of Nuclear Program Still Precondition for Talks With U.S.
Glenn Kessler, Washington Post, Thursday, September 21, 2006; A15
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001698.html
With Iran still resisting a freeze on its nuclear activities, the US
and five partners have decided to set yet another deadline in hopes
that Iran will finally agree to terms paving the way for substantive
talks on its nuclear program. Under the plan, reached by Secretary of
State Rice and her counterparts Tuesday, Iran will have until early
October to agree to suspend its nuclear activities as the negotiations
take place, diplomats said. At the meeting, Rice backed off the U.S.
demand that the U.N. Security Council begin imposing sanctions over
Iran's failure to meet previous deadlines, but noted there is intense
interest in the issue on Capitol Hill. "Everyone wants to solve this
through negotiation, everybody wants to solve this diplomatically,"
Rice said Wednesday, declining to confirm the new deadline. The new
deadline is the fourth in four months.

Iraq
9) U.N. Finds Baghdad Toll Far Higher Than Cited
Richard A. Oppel Jr., New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/middleeast/21iraq.html
A UN report Wednesday said 5,106 people in Baghdad died violent deaths
during July and August, a number far higher than reports that have
relied on figures from the city's morgue. Across the country, the
report found, 3,590 civilians were killed in July - the highest
monthly total on record - and 3,009 more were killed in August. As
Baghdad has become the main stage for sectarian fighting, counting the
dead has become a contentious issue. Some American officials say
figures released by the Baghdad morgue are inflated. The UN report
includes the morgue's figures of 1,855 killed in July and 1,536 killed
in August. But it also counts bodies received at other hospitals in
the city.

In Baghdad, 2,222 people were killed in August, a 23 percent reduction
from the July total of 2,884, the report found. It said the reduction
"may be attributed to a degree of improved security" from recent
large-scale sweeps by American and Iraqi troops through Baghdad's most
dangerous neighborhoods. But the report also said casualties had
climbed in other regions. It said while the number of killings
decreased at the beginning of August, "further increases were evident
towards the end of the month in Baghdad and other governorates." While
most deaths occurred in Baghdad, the report suggests it may not
reflect all casualties from other areas because of difficulties
collecting information. Anbar Province, one of the deadliest regions
in Iraq, reported no deaths in July.

10) Since Threat, Attacks on U.S. Troops Have Risen
Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post, Thursday, September 21, 2006; A19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/20/AR2006092001716.html
Attacks against U.S. troops have increased in the two weeks since
al-Qaeda in Iraq's new leader urged insurgents to target American
forces, a U.S. military spokesman said Wednesday. Since the threat
posted on the Internet Sept. 7 by Abu Ayyub al-Masri, at least 23
servicemen have been killed, mostly by suicide car bombers or roadside
bombs, according to U.S. military news releases.

11) Insurgency Gains Alarming Support Among Iraq's Sunni Muslims
Pentagon Survey Reveals Significant Growth in Support Since Iraq War Began
Jonathan Karl, ABC News, Sept. 20, 2006
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2470183&page=1
A confidential Pentagon assessment finds that an overwhelming majority
of Iraq's Sunni Muslims support the insurgency that has been fighting
against U.S. troops and the Iraqi government. Officials found that
support for the insurgency has never been higher, with approximately
75% of the country's Sunni Muslims in agreement. When the Pentagon
started surveying Iraqi public opinion in 2003, Sunni support for the
insurgents stood at approximately 14%. The news comes as September is
on track to become one of the deadliest months this year for U.S.
troops in Iraq. Forty-nine Americans have been killed this month, with
four deaths today.

12) Iraq torture 'worse after Saddam'
BBC News, Thursday, 21 September 2006
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5368360.stm
Torture may be worse now in Iraq than under former leader Saddam
Hussein, the UN's chief anti-torture expert says. Manfred Nowak said
the situation in Iraq was "out of control", with abuses being
committed by security forces, militia groups and anti-US insurgents.
Bodies found in the Baghdad morgue "often bear signs of severe
torture", said the human rights office of the UN Assistance Mission in
Iraq in a report. The wounds confirmed reports given by refugees from
Iraq, Nowak said.

Palestine
13) U.S. Supports Abbas in Bid to Assemble Unity Cabinet
Helene Cooper, New York Times, September 21, 2006
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/world/middleeast/21diplo.html
The Bush administration expressed support Wednesday for efforts by
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas to establish a national unity
government with Hamas, but said the US would continue to withhold aid
from the Palestinian Authority. Washington's European allies have been
pushing President Bush to engage more fully in peace efforts in the
Middle East. An announcement Wednesday by the four powers of the
so-called quartet that have been working to promote peace negotiations
- the EU, the US, Russia and the UN - that they supported Abbas's
efforts came as part of talks on the periphery of the General
Assembly.

The proposed unity government is intended to bring about a restoration
of Western aid. But with increasing friction, internal Palestinian
talks were put on hold while Abbas is abroad, and some in his party
are questioning the rationale for such a government if Hamas is not
willing to meet the demands that could restore assistance. Bush met
with Abbas Tuesday. Elliott Abrams, deputy national security adviser,
said Abbas told White House officials that Hamas would strike a deal
only under terms that allowed for some public ambiguity over its stand
on Israel, even if it agreed to recognize previous agreements and
Israel's right to exist. But Abrams said the US had argued that the
Hamas leadership was being quite explicit in its anti-Israel stand and
support of terrorist tactics.

IMF-World Bank
14) World Bank, IMF unsuited for Africa aid-U.N. agency
Laura MacInnis, Reuters, Thursday, September 21, 2006; 1:43 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092100819.html
The World Bank and IMF are poorly suited to lead the flow of aid to
Africa, which would be more effective if it was distributed in line
with a nation's needs, not competing donor interests, a U.N. agency
said. The U.N. Trade and Development Agency (UNCTAD) proposed in a
report Thursday that aid for Africa should be channeled through a UN
fund.
"Such an arrangement would replace the current chaotic system in which
too many agencies…are pushing too many development projects that
sometimes compete with each other," it said. UNCTAD said overhauling
the way aid is distributed was vital to ensure that assistance to
Africa makes a noticeable impact on development.

Existing aid procedures are too focused on technical assistance, at
the expense of funding priorities identified by African countries,
such as building infrastructure to smooth trade and diversify economic
activity, UNCTAD official Janvier Nkurunziza said. Without a
restructuring in aid delivery, he said African economies would miss an
8 percent annual growth rate required to achieve global poverty
reduction targets.The World Bank and IMF, institutions which currently
dominate African aid flows [by shaping other aid flows, not by
magnitude - JFP], "have not lived up to expectations and are not
suited to administering doubled aid," UNCTAD said. Their requirements
have drawn criticism from advocacy groups, including Oxfam, for being
too dogmatic. Britain threatened this month to withhold a $93.9
million World Bank payment to press for an overhaul of the conditions
linked to aid.

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Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org

Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming
U.S. foreign policy so that it reflects the values and interests of
the majority of Americans.