On the Bali bombing<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government's caution in pronouncing on the
\nnature of the Bali Bomb attack is understandable as the country,
\nalone among the Southeast Asian core nations, has consistently
\ndownplayed the reach of the al-Qaeda terror network from its
\nMiddle Eastern base.<\/p>\n
Question: Will Indonesia now be prodded to live up to its duty
\nof handling the menace? The Bali attack will have taught nothing
\nif nations most at risk maintain the delusion that dealing with
\nterror cells would compromise domestic political order.<\/p>\n
The Bali incident prompts two questions. First, President
\nGeorge W. Bush needs to take a step back in the light of the
\nattack and think hard: Has his campaign against organized terror
\nbeen sidetracked by his obsession with Iraq? Second, Indonesia
\nwill be inviting unwelcome American intervention if it does not
\nface up to what is clearly a violation of its honor.<\/p>\n
-- Straits Times, Singapore<\/p>\n
Indonesia and terrorism<\/p>\n
As the devastating explosion Saturday on the Indonesian island
\nof Bali shows, the United States can lead the war against
\ninternational terrorism - but can't win it alone.<\/p>\n
Indonesia - the most populous Muslim nation - is rapidly
\nbecoming a haven for domestic and foreign Islamic terrorists, who
\nhope to use it as a new base of operations. However, President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri has chosen not to bear the political risk
\nof tackling this enormous security problem head-on and her nation
\nhas just paid a steep price for her timid, ineffective
\nleadership.<\/p>\n
Despite pressure from the United States and Indonesia's
\nneighbors, Megawati has failed to aggressively push for the
\npassage of a strong anti-terrorism law that has been stalled in
\nthe Indonesian parliament. ...<\/p>\n
Any hope of defeating terrorism requires a high level of
\ninternational cooperation - which Megawati has unwisely chosen to
\nwithhold. The tragic folly of that approach should be obvious to
\nMegawati and other Indonesian political leaders. The terrorists
\nresponsible for the Bali attack cared only about wreaking havoc
\nagainst the West, and nothing about the serious harm they caused
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
-- The News Tribune, Tacoma, Washington<\/p>\n
Sniper-induced fear
\nin Washington<\/p>\n
The sniper who is taunting police and gunning down victims at
\nrandom is doing far more than frightening the residents of the
\nWashington, D.C. area. His twisted spree of killing has sent a
\nshudder through every American.<\/p>\n
We can imagine what the fear must be like in Washington and
\nits suburbs. We can imagine because the victims are just ordinary
\npeople, going about daily routines - pumping gas, mowing the
\nlawn, going to school, shopping at a strip mall. ...<\/p>\n
When police catch him, they will likely find an explanation.
\nThere's already one tantalizing clue: a Tarot card with the
\nmessage, "Dear policeman, I am God." That suggests a set of
\npersonality traits to criminologists, so the maniac may start to
\ncome into focus. Many think his skill with a rifle suggests
\nsomeone with military or police training. Some theorize he's an
\nintelligent, middle-aged white man who has recently suffered a
\nhumiliating setback that triggered the spree. In this age, is it
\ntoo much to wonder if these could be the deliberate acts of a
\nterrorist? ...<\/p>\n
-- Chicago Tribune, Chicago<\/p>\n
Iraqi denial
\nand deception<\/p>\n
Iraq has made denial and deception a finely tuned art designed
\nto convince the world Saddam Hussein's regime isn't cooking up
\ndeadly weapons of mass destruction.<\/p>\n
An analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency called the
\nIraqi denial and deception program "a deliberate, methodical,
\nextensive and well-organized national-level, strategic effort,
\nwhich aims at deceiving not just the United States, not just the
\nUnited Nations or even the public media, but, in fact, the entire
\nworld."<\/p>\n
John Yurechko, a DIA expert on information operations and
\n"D&D," as he refers to denial and deception, said Hussein goes to
\ngreat lengths in concealing his intentions from the world. ...<\/p>\n
Since the end of the Gulf War, he explained, Iraq's denial and
\ndeception campaign has had three main goals: blur the truth about
\nIraqi compliance with the Nuclear Proliferation treaty and U.N.
\nresolutions; keep U.N. Special Commission inspectors from
\nlearning the full extent of Iraq's WMD capabilities and prevent
\nUNSCOM from completely disarming Iraq's nuclear, chemical,
\nbiological and long-range missile programs in accordance with
\nU.N. resolutions. ...<\/p>\n
This is why international inspectors must be given unbridled
\naccess to scour Iraq for biological and nuclear weapons.<\/p>\n
-- American Press, Lake Charles, Louisiana<\/p>\n
On a war against Iraq<\/p>\n
President Bush's speech last Monday seeking support for war
\nagainst Iraq was a succinct reiteration of the reasons he thinks
\nSaddam Hussein poses a threat to U.S. security. But once again,
\nwe think he failed to make the case that a unilateral, pre-
\nemptive attack by the United States is necessary or even
\nadvisable....<\/p>\n
The administration repeatedly has failed to discuss the
\npotential ramifications of such a strike, how it would establish
\na friendly regime once Saddam is gone, how it would deal with
\ninstability in the region caused by a war and how it would pay
\nfor the war and rebuilding a decimated Iraq.<\/p>\n
Bush's pose as the liberator of the Iraqi people rings
\nhollow. ...<\/p>\n
The president would do well to consider backing a plan
\nadvocated by some members of Congress, including Rep. John
\nSpratt, D-S.C. ... Instead, he has called for "coercive
\ninspections" of Iraqi weapons sites, conducted by a coalition of
\nforces under United Nations auspices. This approach would have
\ntwo advantages: 1. The president would make clear that the U.N.
\nmust enforce its own rules against Iraq; 2. The United States
\nwould make the obvious but seldom stated point that Iraqi weapons
\npose a greater threat to its neighbors and even much of Europe
\nthan they do to this country. ...<\/p>\n
-- The Herald, Rock Hill, South Carolina<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-the-bali-bombing-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }