Information Related to "World News Review August 1999"
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In Brief... World News Reviewby Peter Eddington, Darris McNeely, Cecil Maranville and John Ross SchroederBerlin Store Fined for Skirting Sunday Restrictions A Berlin department store that tested Germany's strict shopping laws by opening on Sunday drew tens of thousands of excited shoppers-and a $27,000 fine. The Berlin Office of Workers' Protection said Monday it would fine Kaufhof, a large store on Alexanderplatz in eastern Berlin, that tried to get around the law by labeling everything sold as souvenirs. German laws that prevent businesses from opening on Sunday allow exceptions for those catering to tourists. Store officials said they would appeal the fine. About 50,000 shoppers flocked to the Kaufhof on Sunday, buying goods ranging from clothing to appliances labeled with stickers reading, "Berlin Souvenir." The store will face a fine of up to $54,500 if it tries to open this Sunday, said Robert Rath, the worker protection agency's spokesman. Officials may also order the store closed if it continues, he said. Unions, churches and local government heads oppose the push for Sunday shopping, arguing it is unnecessary and unfair to workers. If Sunday becomes a day like all the others, "then there will be no common time for families to be together with friends who are still at work," Margret Moenig-Raane, president of the Trade, Banking and Insurance Union, told Deutschlandradio Berlin. Anglo-American Trends Against Marriage According to the latest issue of British Population Trends, married couples will constitute a minority of the population before 2010. Back in 1981, 65 percent of adults were married. By 1997, 23 percent fewer marriages were contracted. By contrast the rates of growth in cohabitation and illegitimate children have been enormous. Most Western governments have either knowingly or unknowingly conspired against the divine institution of marriage. Over the last 50 years and more their legislation has periodically weakened the marriage bond. While giving lip service to marriage, their philosophy has produced the legal loopholes that have made divorce far easier and alternative relationships more economically viable. The words of Jack Straw, Britain's Home Secretary, are an example of this philosophy. "While marriages should be supported and strengthened, there are other kinds of families, including single-parent families, that do equally well for children." Do they? Juvenile crime figures tend to show otherwise. Mr. Straw continued: "The government cannot pressure people into one type of relationship or force them to stay together. We are not in the business of moralising, preaching or nagging people on how they should live their lives." Across the Atlantic the situation in the United States sounds very similar. Wrote Cheryl Weltzein of The Washington Times: "Marriage in America has gone from better to worse, with fewer couples marrying and fewer still saying their lives together are wedded bliss according to a report released on July 1.… As marriage has faltered, rates of divorce, cohabitation and bearing children out of wedlock have soared to record levels" (Financial Times, March 17, 1999; Daily Mail, June 21, 1999; Washington Times, July 12-18, 1999). Turkey Accused of Attacking Iranian Targets Iranian media has reported that a number of Iranians were killed when Turkish planes bombed suspected Kurdistan Worker's Party positions inside Iran. Turkey has denied carrying out the strikes. Iranian media has also suggested that Turkey may have been behind provoking the recent student unrest in Iran. Iran and Turkey routinely trade diplomatic barbs, and this could be a groundless spat. After all, Turkey has enough domestic and international concerns to deal with without increasing tension with Iran. But given ongoing international realignments, Ankara may not be entirely averse to ratcheting up tension with Iran (Stratfor.com, Global Intelligence Update, July 20, 1999). Has Milosevic Used His Nine Lives? ZURICH, SWITZERLAND-There is nothing more wasteful or dismal than a lost war. So it's no surprise many angry Serbs are calling for the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic who led them into four disastrous wars. The wily Milosevic has repeatedly shown a remarkable gift for surviving defeats and confounding his many internal and external enemies. This time, however, his nine lives may be running low. Serbia lies in ruins; its economy is moribund; its morale at rock bottom. The Serb Orthodox Church, whose clergy formerly blessed Milosevic's ethnic cleansing as a "new holy crusade," has turned against its erstwhile champion and denounced his crimes in Kosovo. As U.N. police investigators in Kosovo uncover mass graves filled with the remains of murdered women and children, even the staunchest former defenders of Serbia have fallen silent (Eric Margolis, July 18, 1999). Barak Tries to Redefine the Peace Process in Washington The Middle East peace process has obsessed and collapsed over the Palestinian question for decades. Ehud Barak wants to redefine the issue; instead of focusing on the Palestinian question, he wants to focus on a peace treaty with Syria. He has good reason to believe that Syria is ready for a peace settlement. The problem, in our eyes, is not Syria but Turkey. Israel and Turkey are allied against Syria. The United States is highly dependent on Turkey for its regional strategy and is not eager to see the boat rocked. The U.S. must be convinced that accords with Syria can be the foundation for Syria's general integration into America's regional system and not the preface for a geopolitical upheaval. On the whole, from the American point of view, sticking with the Palestinians is the safer course (Stratfor's Global Intelligence Update, Weekly Analysis, July 19, 1999). China Boasts It Has Technology to Make Neutron Bombs BEIJING: (Reuters)-China announced July 15 it had the technology to make neutron bombs, but gave no details. "China officially announced here today that it has already mastered the neutron bomb design technology," the official Xinhua news agency said in a one-paragraph report. The announcement came amid a dispute with rival Taiwan, which abandoned its "one China" policy that has helped underpin East Asian security for decades. The three-line Xinhua report gave no clue as to when the neutron bomb was developed or whether China had conducted tests, begun mass production or deployed the weapon. The AIDS Epidemic Continues WASHINGTON-AIDS is the leading cause of death in Africa. In Harare, Zimbabwe, four out of 10 adults are HIV-positive. The full force of the epidemic has yet to hit, but it becomes clearer all the time that AIDS will have vast and long-term consequences for many societies. Fewer people in the West are dying of AIDS, thanks to new drug regimens, but even here the virus is not defeated. Last year in North America there were some 44,000 newly reported infections. These are some of the gloomy tidings from Peter Piot, a Belgian physician and microbiologist who directs the U.N. program on AIDS. Last year, according to the World Health Organization, about 54 million people died. AIDS was responsible for 2.3 million of those deaths-more than malaria or tuberculosis or lung cancer. AIDS is now among the top five killers in the world, and in many places the epidemic is still advancing. Its toll is especially high in developing countries, most of all in Africa, where the virus originated. In Botswana, children born in the next few years can expect to live, on average, to just past their 40th birthdays. Were it not for AIDS, their life expectancy would be 70. The picture of reduced life spans and orphaned children is repeated throughout much of southern and eastern Africa. Some 1.4 million Latin Americans, nearly a million North Americans and 7 million Asians also are living with HIV, and India and China may still lie ahead in the epidemic's path (The Washington Post, July 19, 1999). Taiwan Sticks to Sovereignty Declaration-Much to U.S. Chagrin Taiwan has refused to back down from President Lee Teng-hui's declaration that the island was abandoning the "One China" concept, despite economic, political and military threats from Beijing. However, Taiwan has yet to face the likely threats from the U.S., which is attempting to mend relations with Beijing and so does not appreciate being put in the middle of a new crisis (Stratfor.com, Global Intelligence Update, July 14, 1999). Missile Tests and North Korea's Strategy of Survival North Korea has sort of announced that they are about to test a new missile in August, a missile able to reach parts of Alaska. The U.S. has a carrier battle group in Pusan, South Korea. The Japanese are pleading with the Chinese, the Mongolians and anyone else who will listen to get the North Koreans to stop the test. A report is being prepared by a former U.S. Secretary of Defense on the whole North Korean problem. For a country that was supposed to starve to death during each of the past five winters, the North Koreans have done remarkably well in making themselves the focus of major powers. That achievement was not accidental. It was part of a skillful strategy we call the "Crazy Fearsome Cripple Gambit." In its own way, it is a work of art (Stratfor's Global Intelligence Update, Weekly Analysis, July 12, 1999). House Passes Bill to Restrict Teen Abortions WASHINGTON: (AP)-The House approved new abortion restrictions… by voting to make it more difficult for a minor to end a pregnancy. Under a bill adopted 270-159, anyone who avoids parental involvement laws by taking a pregnant girl out of state for an abortion could be prosecuted in federal court. But the vote was more than a dozen short of the required two-thirds majority, or 286 votes, needed to overturn a threatened White House veto. Supporters said the measure will protect the rights of parents, the health and well-being of their minor children and uphold laws in more than 30 states requiring parental consent or notification for their minor daughter's abortion. Opponents argued that most minors already involve parents in the decision to have an abortion. They said girls who cannot turn to a parent, for whatever reason, would be isolated and left to handle the situation alone. The White House is threatening a veto unless the bill is amended to exclude from liability close family members, counselors and medical professionals (Darlene Superville, AP, June 30, 1999). When Terrorists Turn to the Internet It's 8 a.m., morning rush hour in New York. People and cars move slowly and somewhat irritably toward the city. Suddenly, the power goes down and traffic lights cease working. Everything comes to a complete stop. Meanwhile, half a country away, the water system malfunctions in Detroit. Then, in Dallas, air traffic becomes dangerously chaotic as guidance systems go offline. On the surface, it seems like a series of unconnected events. But information security experts say it could also be the sign of a terrorist cyber-attack-well-coordinated, extremely effective, and so anonymous it leaves its targets not quite sure what happened. While the above situation has never taken place, many industry experts say it could. In fact, they're somewhat surprised it hasn't already. The U.S. government and U.S. businesses know that developing an effective response to cyber-terrorism is essential. This, at least, is the first step, even though they have a long way to go in addressing the problem (Tom Regan, The Christian Science Monitor, July 1, 1999). Kashmir Crisis Was Defused on Brink of War Two months ago, as fighting raged between Indian and Pakistani forces in the disputed province of Kashmir, American spy satellites revealed a new and alarming development hundreds of miles to the south. In the desert state of Rajasthan, elements of the Indian army's main offensive "strike force" were loading tanks, artillery and other heavy equipment onto flatbed rail cars. India, it seemed, was preparing to invade its neighbor. At least in the short term, President Clinton helped avert that prospect during his widely reported Independence Day meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who agreed after hours of tense discussions to withdraw the forces that had triggered the flare-up in early May. But the full dimensions of the crisis are only now coming to light. According to senior administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, the latest conflict over Kashmir came much closer to full-scale war than was publicly acknowledged at the time-and raised very real fears that one or both countries would resort to using variants of the nuclear devices each tested last year. "This is one of the most dangerous situations on the face of the earth," said a senior administration official who closely tracks the issue. "It was very, very easy to imagine how this crisis…could have escalated out of control, including in a way that could have brought in nuclear weapons, without either party consciously deciding that it wanted to go to nuclear war." The danger is far from over (John Lancaster, Washington Post, July 26, 1999). China, Falun Gong and the Politics of Economic Depression China has become obsessed with a couple million middle-aged members of a group that does a lot of strange exercises and whose leader lives in New York. Sensible people—like those at the New York Times—can't understand why the Chinese government cares about Falun Gong when there are so many serious economic problems to worry about. That's a good point, since China is in deepening economic depression. The reason China is so concerned is because the Chinese know that there is no solution to their economic problems. Therefore, they are bracing for the social and political consequences of long-term economic failure. Beijing understands that in times of misery, seemingly harmless groups can suddenly challenge the regime. The crackdown on Falun Gong expresses Beijing's deep-seated insecurity. If China's economy can't recover, can the regime survive? President Jiang Zemin intends to do whatever is necessary to make certain it can (Stratfor's Global Intelligence Update, Weekly Analysis, July 26, 1999). Hezbollah Vows to Continue the Fight As a proposed peace agreement between Israel and Syria gains momentum, most of the militant Palestinian factions seem prepared to support the process. Even Hamas has taken a cautious wait-and-see approach to the talks. The Lebanese Hezbollah, however, is vowing to continue the fight. Yet judging by comments to the Lebanese press by Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, even Hezbollah has agreed not to launch attacks that could fundamentally disrupt the peace process. What brought Hezbollah in line? In all likelihood a promise from Syria that, if Hezbollah behaved itself, it could continue business as usual in southern Lebanon after the Israelis were gone. And in the Middle East, all rhetoric aside, business is business (Stratfor.com, Global Intelligence Update, July 28, 1999). Ukraine Struggles Now for Neutrality The pendulum of Ukrainian foreign policy swung closest to the West on June 12, when Kiev briefly closed Ukrainian airspace to Russian aircraft trying to reinforce Russian troops at Slatina airbase in Kosovo. For Moscow that was too far and Russia has launched a major campaign to reverse Ukraine's trajectory. Following very pointed discussions with Russian President Boris Yeltsin on July 4, Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma has reaffirmed Ukraine's strategic partnership with Russia, while declaring neutrality to be at the root of Ukraine's foreign policy. For Kiev, NATO was a fleeting dream and neutrality is a desperate hope, but strategic partnership may be the final reality (Stratfor.com, Global Intelligence Update, July 15, 1999). The Legacy of Kim Il-Sung Flowers and trees are miraculously blooming out of season in honor of the fifth anniversary of the death of the late "Glorious Leader," Kim Il-Sung. So reports North Korea's state press. The defunct Kim, who founded North Korea in 1945, was just named "Eternal President" of the hermit nation of 25 million by his son and heir, "Beloved Leader" Kim Jong-Il, a semi-recluse who appears even more bizarre and unpredictable than his father. North Korea also used the occasion to blast the U.S. for "impudent interference, blackmail, and warmongering;" roasted the hated Japanese for "militarism" and warned of nefarious South Korean plots. In short, more vintage weirdness from dangerous, clearly psychotic North Korea (Eric Margolis, July 11, 1999). |
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Other Articles by Peter Eddington
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Origin of article "World News Review August 1999"
Keywords: Sunday Germany marriage Turkey Milosevic Barak China AIDS North Korea abortion India Pakistan Hezbollah Ukraine Il-Sung, Kim
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