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Thursday September 27th 2001 |
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Politics this week September 27th 2001 From The Economist print edition Fight against terror
The United States detained over 350 suspects in relation to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Nearly 400 others are being sought for questioning. None of the detainees has been charged with any crime directly related to the assault. See article: Hard evidence would help
George Bush announced measures to stop the financing of terrorism. He ordered the freezing of assets belonging to 12 organisations, 12 individuals and three charities, including those of Osama bin Laden, his al-Qaeda organisation and individuals associated with him. Mr Bush promised action against foreign banks that did not co-operate with anti-terrorist measures and a task-force to combat the problem. See article: Getting to them through their money Mr Bush unveiled plans for greater safety in the air including armed marshals on planes and increased security. America's largest pilots' union called for a change in the law to allow pilots to be sworn in as federal agents mandated to carry guns in the cockpit of their aircraft.
See article: Big government is back
As American and allied forces prepared to strike against Afghanistan, aid workers in Pakistan readied themselves for an expected 1m refugees. Saudi Arabia cut off diplomatic relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Since the United Arab Emirates had already severed relations, only Pakistan now has ties with the Taliban. The United States, however, said it was not seeking to overturn the regime.
See article: The double-act wears thin
President Vladimir Putin of Russia said he would support the forces of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance in their fight against the Taliban as part of his co-operation with America's battle against terrorism. He also said he might talk to the leader of Russia's breakaway republic of Chechnya, which is still fighting for its independence.
See article: Having second thoughts?
In response to the terrorist attacks, foreign ministers from Latin America invoked the Rio treaty, a mutual-defence pact dating from the cold war, and pledged to co-operate in the struggle against terrorism. But polls suggested that public opinion in Latin America is cool towards an American military response.
See article: Together, for now
Spanish police said they had broken up a cell of people linked to Osama bin Laden. Ceasefire on demand?
Under intense American pressure, and despite reduced but continuing violence, Ariel Sharon dropped his opposition to a meeting between his foreign minister, Shimon Peres, and Yasser Arafat. The two met at Gaza airport and agreed to try to extend the fragile Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, and to meet again.
See article: The beginning of the end of the Palestinian uprising?
President Robert Mugabe's ruling party won a by-election in Zimbabwe. There was pressure on the Supreme Court, which is expected to rule soon, for the second time, on the legality of farm seizures. Frederick Chiluba, Zambia's president, lost one of his closest allies when Michael Sata left the government and his job as national secretary of the ruling party. He claimed that Mr Chiluba's choice of candidate for the presidential election that must be held this year was illegal. Poland turns left
In Poland's general election, the ex-communist Democratic Left Alliance won easily, with 41% of the vote. The outgoing centre-right government, based on the Solidarity trade-union movement, took only 6% of the vote—and no seats in parliament at all. See article: The left is back--in the centre Speculation mounted that Germany's Greens, many of whom oppose American plans for military action against terrorists, might withdraw from their country's ruling coalition, forcing the Social Democrats to seek new partners or govern in a minority.
See article: Rocking the government
NATO troops in Macedonia completed their collection of weapons handed in by ethnic-Albanian rebels as part of a peace plan. The country's parliament approved constitutional amendments to give ethnic Albanians a better deal. But its government wrangled over how big NATO's follow-up force should be and over how long it should stay. Turkey's parliament voted to change the constitution to help bring it closer to EU norms. Among other reforms, restrictions against the use of Kurdish are to be loosened. A gunman, apparently with a local grudge, killed at least 14 people after storming into a local assembly in Zug, in central Switzerland. Recruitment drive
Human-rights groups in Sri Lanka appealed to the Tamil Tigers not to recruit child soldiers. The Tigers, who seek a separate state for Tamils in the north-east of the island, are reported to have asked every household in the region to provide one new recruit. In Macau's first election since the former Portuguese colony was returned to China in 1999, a pro-democracy group gained two of the ten directly elected seats in the largely appointed legislature. The result was reckoned good for the democrats, who have complained of corruption and vote-buying by other groups. As part of a campaign to save energy, civil servants in Thailand have been told to remove their jackets at work so that less air conditioning is needed to keep them cool. A third term for Giuliani?
In New York's postponed mayoral primary, Michael Bloomberg easily won the Republican contest. Two Democrats, Mark Green and Fernando Ferrer, now face a run-off. Popular support for Rudy Giuliani, the term-limited mayor, to remain in the post was strong. In another embarrassment for America's intelligence services, the FBI charged a senior Pentagon analyst with spying for Cuba.
The price of coffee sank to its lowest level in three decades as the Association of Coffee Producing Countries scrapped a failed buffer-stock scheme. Tens of thousands of labourers have been laid off in Latin America this year as coffee prices have fallen below production costs. See article: Drowning in cheap coffee The trial began of 20 people accused of helping to arrange a bomb attack on a Jewish welfare centre in Buenos Aires which killed more than 80 people in 1994. The bombers themselves have never been caught. Intelligence sources claim that they were from Hizbullah, a Lebanese group.
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