No option but nuclear
Its been a strange old week.
Then again, its always been a strange old week.
Most international eyes have been on the Middle East. But the Diary thinks this last seven days marked the return of national politics.
Recent months have been dominated by international events: war, diplomatic rifts, summits, peace deals, bio-tech trade, viruses.
This week, the Middle East roadmap aside, domestic issues returned to our front pages: EU entry, French orgies, African coups, Hillary Clinton, EMU, Sammy Sosas corked bat.
Nevertheless, eight US soldiers were killed in Iraq this week, proving that fight is not yet over. Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld blamed Saddam, or the lack of Saddam.
Rummy suggested that not coming up with the moustached-one has done the allies no favours, and might give heart to a few crack shots in the Baath party who still think they can win this war.
But the big news is North Korea.
In an explicit statement of intent, Pyongyang said it has no option but to build up a nuclear deterrent force. The aim is to reduce its dependence on conventional forces, which, it says, are costing them more money than a couple of nukes would.
North Korea claims that this new budget to destroy the world will help them divert our human and monetary resources to economic development and improve the living standards of the people.
In other words, cut the military, develop some A-bombs, et voila, the people get fed.
Of course, feeding the people and improving their living standards has never exactly been a top priority of Dear Leader Kim Jong Il.
US secretary of state Colin Powell, said in response, This is not meaning we are on our way to war. We are not.
But didnt he once say the same thing about Iraq?
The President continues to believe that there is an opportunity for a diplomatic solution, a political solution, Powell said.
That will be put to the test before August, by which time, according to US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, a second round of multilateral talks about North Koreas nuclear weapons programme will take place.
In the first round of talks, remember, North Korea told the US they already had nuclear weapons.
As the BBC says, Western intelligence agencies believe North Korea has had nuclear weapons programmes for several years and may already have a small number of bombs.
North Koreas statement happened to land on the final day of a Tokyo summit between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese prime minister. The two men were discussing how to contain North Korea, when North Korea announced that it could not be contained.
Koizumi appears willing to take a tougher line with Pyongyang than Roh.
North Korea wants bilateral talks with the US. The US insists on multilateral talks with Japan, South Korea, and (probably) China.
The Financial Times describes the USs favoured option as strangulation of North Koreas crumbling communist economy.
John Bolton, US undersecretary of state for arms control (a very powerful man), said last week that Washington was looking to interdict ships carrying cargo to and from North Korea. This naval blockade would stop the flow of weapons technology, drugs, arms, and illegal aid in and out of the country.
North Korea has talked of economic sanctions as an act of war and warned of serious consequences when Japan announced its plans to search the Mangyongbong-92 passenger ferry between Japan and North Korea this week. Pyongyang suspended the service.
The US, Japan and Australia plan to seek changes to international law so that North Korean vessels can be stopped and searched.
Watch this space.
(Various sources, including The Economist, Financial Times, New York Times, International Herald Tribune, BBC)
Viva Maaouiya!
Admittedly, the Diary has been neglectful of Mauritania over the last couple of years.
Time to make up for this oversight.
Mauritania is a complicated country: an Islamic republic, dominated by Moors, that practices slavery, but recognises Israel.
OK. In 1984, President Maaouiya SidAhmed Ould Taya took power in a coup. Last Sunday morning, gun fire was heard coming from the Presidential palace in Nouakchott, and smoke started to billow from its roof.
Another coup had begun.
Mauritania is an Islamic republic, but President Taya has cracked down on Islamists.
The coup effort was mysterious to say the least. There was no statement, and no certainty who exactly the forces were trying to overthrow the president.
However, it is thought the rebels were sympathetic to Saddam Hussein. Since the War in Iraq began, the authorities have been rounding up citizens and politicians with links to Iraq.
In Mauritania, the Baath party is known as the Socialist party.
The fighting became intense with many casualties. Looting, of course, began immediately.
The coup, however, failed. Taya said it was led by officers of the national army. Taya sacked Colonel Salah Ould Hananna last month, and he is thought to have led the attempt. Troops loyal to Taya saved his bacon.
Elections are scheduled for November. Taya is accused of trying to silence his opposition.
Toil and trouble
Over to East Africa, and a qualifying match in footballs African Nations Cup.
Rwanda beat arch-rivals Uganda 1-0 in Kampala. But then, in one of historys best excuses for defeat, the Ugandans claimed that the Rwandan goalkeeper used witchcraft during the match.
The victorious Rwandan Wasps were met by 10,000 adoring fans at Kigali airport, who marched to Amahoro national stadium chanting Kisangani phase two.
Ugandas Argentine coach was not so happy. The witchcraft scenario and fighting led to our loss, he said. I am still shocked by this witchcraft that I witnessed for the first time in my football career. I have played in South America and witnessed many things in football, but this was too much for me. This witchcraft issue disorganised my whole team because they were so taken up failed to concentrate.
Theres nothing like grace in defeat.
So, what happened? According to BBC reports, Rwandan goalkeeper Muhamed Mossi carried a strange substance which he lit around the goal area.
So did the great Angelo Peruzzi when he was at AS Roma, but nobody accused him of witchcraft.
However, there was one piece of damning evidence: in the words of the BBC, The assistant referee, Ethiopian Lema Mesfin, was seen making the sign of a cross before removing the juju from the Rwanda goal area at the start of the second half.
Multilateral anti-communist inevitability
More examples of Colin Powells multilateral approach this week, this time in respect of Cuba.
Speaking at the 33rd general assembly of the Organisation of American States (OAS) in Santiago, Chile, Powell had this to say:
My government looks forward to working with our partners in the OAS to find ways to hasten the inevitable democratic transition in Cuba. If our experience over the past quarter century in this hemisphere and across the globe has taught us anything, it is that dictatorships cannot withstand the force of freedom.
Watch out Castro.
Powell said that in a region of thriving democracy, tyrants, traffickers and terrorists would disappear. I think if we call ourselves a community of democracies, it is our obligation to speak out, he said.
The secretary of state also announced that he would probably pursue a joint US-EU action against Cuba, who, of course, hardly agree on anything at the moment, let alone Cuba.
Castro called Powells comments redolent of fascist imperialism. Communist Cuba was suspended from OAS membership in 1962. Recent crackdowns have seen seventy-five dissidents jailed for up to twenty-eight years and three executed.
Powell promised There are no plans to take preventive or pre-emptive action with respect to Cuba.
Speaking more widely about Latin America (and perhaps the world), he continued, New democracies created with high hopes can founder if the lives of ordinary citizens do not change for the better. We know that corruption will squander a nations treasure and more importantly, it will undermine public trust. And extremists will feed on frustration and fears about the future.
(Main sources: Washington Post, Financial Times)
Mystic pizza
Finally, to Nordby on the Danish island of Fanoe, where Aage Bjerre, owner of Aages Pizza, has been convicted of racial discrimination.
His crime was to refuse to serve pizzas to German and French customers because of their stance on the Iraq war.
Bjerre has been fined 5,000 kroner (673 euros). He says hed rather go to prison than pay the fine.
Perhaps hes hoping for a Congressional Medal of Honor.
I feel that I was convicted for supporting the coalition, the 42-year-old pizzeria owner moaned. I dont want to sell pizza to people from those two countries. Every day I turn tourists down, but my conscience is doing fine.
Bjerre is staunchly pro-American. He put up signs with crosses through people wearing the French and German colours. He says hes already lost 50,000 kroner (6,730 euros) in lost business, and vandalism.
Not to worry, the job offers from America have been flooding in.
(Source: BBC News Online)
Title of the week
Get out of Here, Curse You.
The latest novel by Saddam Hussein, discovered this week in the Information Ministry in Baghdad. Read more about this tale of Salem, an Arab nobleman who wins famous victories over his American and Jewish enemies and destroys some twin towers by clicking here.
Quotes of the week
It is clear there are people in the Middle East who hate peace.
A despairing President Bush
We have thousands, even tens of thousands, who are ready to fight.
Aid Mintz, Israeli settlement leader
This also occurs in metropolitan areas of America, Europe and Asia as well.
US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the crime and wrongdoing in Iraq.
There are now two kinds of sovereignty in the world; the sovereignty of the United States, that overrides all international obligations and treaties, and the sovereignty of other countries which is subject to the Bush doctrine.
Financier George Soros (Click here to read more)
Figures of the week
77%
The number of Yes votes in favour of membership of the EU in Polands historic referendum (59% turnout)
184
The number of Colombian trade unionists murdered last year
Contact the Diary editor: Dominic.Hilton@openDemocracy.net
