~A fitting memorial<\/p>\n
Australians can be rightly proud of their government's generous
\ncommitment to Indonesia's recovery from the tsunami.<\/p>\n
This is a new level of co-operation and goodwill between
\nAustralia and its closest neighbor. It also demonstrates how far
\nrelations between the two have improved in a very short time.<\/p>\n
It was only three years ago that President Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono's predecessor, Megawati Soekarnoputri, famously refused
\nto take John Howard's call when the Prime Minister rang to talk
\nabout the Tampa crisis.<\/p>\n
To realize just how much things have changed, try to imagine
\nthe insular Megawati sharing such a role - any role - with an
\nAustralian leader. Yudhoyono is, of course, a leader of a very
\ndifferent stripe. With the authority conferred by a background in
\nthe military, he is, as well, Western-educated and outward-
\nlooking. From the outset, his presidency has offered
\nunprecedented opportunities for upgrading relations between
\nIndonesia and Australia.<\/p>\n
Accordingly, the Prime Minister is right to focus most of our
\naid on Indonesia, instead of fragmenting it. Arguably, our
\ngreatest obligation is, in any event, to our nearest neighbor.<\/p>\n
No amount of aid can ever provide adequate solace for those
\nwho have been lost, but a new partnership between Australia and
\nIndonesia would be a most fitting memorial.
\n-- The Sydney Morning Herald<\/p>\n
Tsunami's global context<\/p>\n
A natural disaster like the Indian Ocean tsunami does more than
\ntear away at the fabric of life in the afflicted region. It also
\nopens a window to other world problems.<\/p>\n
After an outsized tragedy, people's hearts are often bigger
\nthan their wallets.<\/p>\n
Donors have deluged charities with tens of millions of
\ndollars, and nations have pledged more than US$1.6 billion to aid
\ntsunami victims. But history shows that governments don't always
\nkeep their promises, and even the best relief campaigns lose
\nsteam.<\/p>\n
After an earthquake killed 30,000 in the Iranian city of Bam
\nin December 2003, relief poured in. Now, a year later, streets
\nare still hidden under tons of rubble, and many survivors are in
\ntents or boxlike pre-fab houses.<\/p>\n
Since January 2002, the world has pledged $5.2 billion for
\nAfghanistan's reconstruction. Today, only 75 percent of that
\nmoney has actually been committed by donors, according to New
\nYork University's Center on International Cooperation. Private
\ncharities usually do better, but no central authority tracks
\ntheir follow-through.<\/p>\n
The best measure isn't money spent, but goals achieved: People
\nwith permanent housing. Orphaned children with stable homes.
\nFamilies with real livelihoods.<\/p>\n
For the sake of those suffering in South Asia, today's good
\nintentions mustn't recede as quickly as the waves of a tsunami.
\n-- USA Today<\/p>\n
No Delay for Iraqi Elections<\/p>\n
Every suicide bombing in Iraq these days brings new calls for a
\npostponement of national elections scheduled for Jan. 30. Those
\ndemanding a delay are usually Sunni Muslims -- who've lost the
\npower they held under Saddam Hussein.<\/p>\n
But the voices include well-wishers outside the country
\nworried that an election boycotted by a community accounting for
\n20 percent of the population would permanently cripple
\nrepresentative government.<\/p>\n
Delaying balloting for a 275-member interim national assembly
\nthat will write an interim constitution and then yield to a
\npermanent legislature in another round of elections later in the
\nyear would give terrorists the power to decide if or when
\nelections will be held. A delay would not guarantee that security
\nwould improve; it could worsen. Nor would it ensure that Sunni
\npoliticians would eventually participate; it might simply
\nembolden them to demand further delays. And a postponement would
\nlet insurgents continue to rail against a government picked by
\nWashington.<\/p>\n
The Bush administration points to a democratic Iraq as a
\nbeacon for the Arab nations of the Middle East. That is a
\nlaudable goal, but the imperative short-term need is to at least
\nestablish a government in Baghdad that can claim some legitimacy
\nfrom Mosul to Basra, and that will make most Iraqis feel they
\nhave regained their sovereignty.
\n-- LA Times, Los Angeles<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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