Oct. 26, 2001, Manila, Philippines: An old woman chants anti-U.S. slogans at a rally protesting Philippine support for U.S. strikes against Afghanistan (Photo: AFP).

Reaction from the Asian Press:

The war against terrorism has dispersed since the U.S.-led assault on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban dropped from the front pages of world headlines. East Asia is among the places it has spread to. "The island of the Basilan in the Philippines has become the so-called 'second front' against terrorism," writes Inter Press Service's Walden Bello in the Philippine online daily Cyberdyaryo (April 11), questioning the involvement of almost 500 U.S. troops who are working with 6,000 Filipino troops in their search for 60-80 Abu Sayyaf bandits holding three hostages, including two Americans. According to WPR's correspondent in Manila, the deployment of U.S. troops to the island has stirred controversy in the Philippine press.

While Washington cites Abu Sayyaf ties to Al-Qaeda as the justification for U.S. involvement, officials from the Philippine government and intelligence agencies have admitted to Philippine journalists that they have no evidence linking Abu Sayyaf to Al-Qaeda. Indeed, Bello suspected that the failure to "quell a mere handful of bandits indicated that the problem is political in character, not military, [and that] the bandits seem to enjoy support in high places."

According to Bello, an international peace mission of parliamentarians, academics, and civil society activists from nine countries exploring what "added value" the U.S. presence brought to the fight against Abu Sayyaf found that the presence of U.S. troops had produced few results. The mission instead expressed their suspicions that "chasing Abu Sayyaf merely provides an excuse for a 'strategic intent,' which is to establish a military presence in the Southern Philippines for a long-term U.S. war against insurgents... with all the destabilizing consequences for the whole region of such an endless war." But Mello also notes that in the predominantly Christian island of Basilan, there is strong support for U.S. military presence.

But the presence of U.S. troops in the Philippines is getting less coverage even in the Philippine press with each week. Outside the Philippines, the focus has shifted entirely to the Middle East. Bangladesh's Daily Star (April 18) published an outspoken editorial attacking the leadership of U.S. president George Bush in his handling of the war of attrition between the State of Israel and the Palestinian people. "Instead of helping to shape a fair and just world order, the Bush administration is openly supporting the idea of an unfair and unjust world order where the weak are killed and the strong can be bullies without any fear of justice of any type," opined Habibul Islam. He also disputed reports citing Bangladesh as a haven for terrorists, saying they were politically motivated. Although the opposition Awami League is behind many of these charges, it is no secret that the Jamaat-e-Islami fundamentalist group has formed an alliance with the ruling Bangladeshi National Party.

The conflict in the Middle East dominated headlines throughout Asia, and, indeed, the world, throughout the first weeks of April, as Israel's assault on the West Bank sparked alarming reports of devestation, particularly in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and the Jenin refugee camp. Newspapers across the region had little sympathy for Israel or for the Bush administration's support for the small nuclear power in its battle with suicide bombers, guerrillas, and children.

Asia and the Taliban


The overnight collapse of Taliban rule in Afghanistan has quelled tensions in the Pakistani press somewhat. By Nov. 21, the combined effect of military successes in Afghanistan and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's speech outlining a new U.S. Middle East peace initiative had succeeded in rallying support for the United States in the editorial pages of Pakistan's mass-circulation Dawn. In an editorial titled "Powell's Plain Talk," Dawn's editors banished any doubts outside observers may have had about the connection between the conflict in the Middle East and popular opinion among the United States' predominantly-Muslim allies. "One wishes American leaders were always as candid with Israel as Colin Powell was on Monday when he asked Tel Aviv to pull out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and accept a viable Palestinian state," Dawn's editors wrote.

But before U.S. policy makers congratulate themselves too hardily on their successes in the propaganda war, they would do well to consider the jaundiced view The News, a left-wing newspaper in the predominantly-Pashtun Pakistani city of Peshawar, took of U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlain's Ramadan fast.

And a week after Kabul fell to the Northern Alliance, Indian independent newsmagazine Outlook eschewed stories of Afghan women tearing off their burqas in favor of an analysis of U.S. energy interests in Afghanistan, though it allowed that "oil and gas are not the reason the United States has attacked Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, East Asian newspapers were preoccupied with their own countries' battles with radical Islamism. In the Philippines quiet U.S. military and intelligence assistance has led to a series of significant victories against the vicious Abu Sayyaf rebel movement. During a productive visit to the United States, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo earned promises of increased development aid. She returned home to news of open rebellion in the predominantly-Muslim Philippine island Jolo, which has been at peace for five years.

And though "the waves of anti-American mass demonstrations seem to have decreased significantly" in Indonesia, warned Azyumardi Azra, Rector of the State Islamic Studies Institute in the independent Jakarta Post, "This does not mean that 'political Islam' will also diminish."

Bush on a Rampage | The Frontier Post (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Jan. 12, 2002.

What Is Terrorism? | Anwar Ahmad, The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Nov. 28, 2001.
Excerpt: "It seems elementary to suppose that before, or even after, beginning to rain death on Afghanistan to decimate the 'barbarism', which 'threatens civilization and democracy,' the over-worked term 'terrorism' would be defined. Yet, the U.N. and U.S.-led West[ern nations] show no inclination to do so. The unabated crescendo against undefined terrorism has drowned out the meek voices protesting the fast-blurring distinction between terrorists and freedom fighters. The United States, in particular, is in no mood to listen. As the mind-numbing tragedy of Afghanistan shows, it wants to destroy first."

Editorial: Fighting Terrorism | The Kathmandu Post (independent), Kathmandu, Nepal, Nov. 29, 2001.
"The Term 'Fundamentalism' Is Misused" | Outlook India (independent newsmagazine), New Delhi, India, Nov. 29, 2001.
Editorial: Misuari's New War | The Philippine Inquirer (independent), Manila, Philippines, Nov. 21, 2001.
Pipeline Politics: Oil, Gas and the U.S. Interest in Afghanistan | Richard Tanter, Outlook India (independent newsmagazine), New Delhi, Nov. 21, 2001.
Editorial: Fasting Wendy | The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Nov. 21, 2001.
Editorial: Powell's Plain Talk | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Nov. 21, 2001.
Political Islam's Threat to Megawati | Azyumardi Azra, The Jakarta Post (independent), Jakarta, Indonesia, Nov. 21, 2001.



The Bombing Campaign Begins
The atmosphere in Pakistan is explosive. As Asma Jahangir put it in the Oct. 1 issue of Pakistan's centrist Dawn, "The horror and terror of Sept. 11 have now turned into moments of suspense and worry." Refugees continue to pour into the country from Afghanistan. Violent, daily demonstrations against U.S. strikes against Afghanistan strain Pakistani society. Indeed, after Friday prayers on Oct. 12, violent anti-U.S. demonstrations erupted from Indonesia to Nigeria. By Oct. 13, British Prime Minister Tony Blair was apparently concerned enough about the unrest in Pakistan to write an Op-Ed piece for Peshawar's left-wing The News.

Blair had reason to be concerned about the messages coming from the Pakistani press. On Sept. 26, Peshawar's left-wing The News reported that a man was shot in a mosque. A rash of shootings in mosques were reported the following week. On Sept. 25, sectors of Pakistan's power grid temporarily failed. These events took on a sinister overtone in the Pakistani press.

An Oct. 8 editorial from Peshawar's left-wing Frontier Post contended that the killings made Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's regime seem "pathetically helpless and paralyzed," decried the "Talibanization" of the Pakistani government, and seemed to suggest that the Pakistani intelligence agencies were indirectly to blame for the spate of shootings.

These criticisms seemed particularly sharp at a time when Musharraf is allotting himself greater powers. The News chided Musharraf's moves to indefinitely extend his tenure as chief of army staff and to shore up his power by promoting more loyal generals. Musharraf already granted himself an indefinite tenure when he named himself president. But, The News allowed, Western support for Musharraf's government since the Sept. 11 attacks has "made General Musharraf's continuance as leader of Pakistan almost a fait accompli, at least until the world again turns its screws on Pakistan to demand a civilian, democratic set up. And that is not going to happen any time soon."

On Sept. 26, the editors of Dawn expressed their irritation with the "Western media reporters converging on Pakistan" and their "overboard" coverage of the situation in the country. On Oct. 8, Javed Jabbar, also writing for Dawn, returned to the theme of Western media bias in an article titled, "Missing: Global Muslim Media." But the Western media were not the only news outlets focusing on Pakistan.

And in Peshawar, the editors of The News decided that "it is time for all to insist that the United States should spell out its aims for which it is assembling awesome military strength around Afghanistan. Every one realises the strong impact of Black Tuesday and why the Americans are mad at Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. However, the question of evidence for indicting them credibly remains to be sorted out..."

If Pakistan's English-language press has seemed increasingly subject to the tensions rending the country, the more widely read Urdu press has seemed almost strident in its criticisms. On Oct. 1, Lahore's pro-government Daily Jang ran an opinion piece from retired general and former army chief of staff Mizra Aslam Beg. "To declare Osama Bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda organization's involvement in the terrorist attack without proper in-depth investigation is simply unjust," Beg argued. "It indicates that the United States had already decided to carry out actions against Afghanistan and was only waiting for proper time. Its strategy, and objective is not difficult to understand... If the United States is to achieve world primacy, it is vital for it to strengthen the southern front of Eurasia (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran) to check a likely alliance of China and Russia... Pakistan faces very high risks today," Beg concluded. "We find ourselves between the devil and the deep blue sea. Our allies must realize the delicate position of Pakistan, both internally and externally, as they ask for our cooperation in the fight against terrorism."

As Daily Jang urged the United States to make its evidence against Bin Laden public, New Delhi's The Times of India took up the same cry. In an Oct. 8 editorial, the paper's editors warned that though secrecy "can be justified in terms of protecting the interests of the mission at hand, but secrecy spawns rumours and suspicions which, in turn, can only endanger peace." By Oct. 13, The Hindu, a conservative Chennai newspaper, was sufficiently rankled to publish an opinion piece by Sitaram Yechury. "Once the initial shock and hysteria [following news of the Sept. 11 attacks] gave way to reason," Yechuri wrote, "It became clear that the U.S. was using, in a diabolic way, this human tragedy to further its imperialist hegemony worldwide and to invoke a more draconian domestic rule by curtailing democratic rights and freedom in the name of combating terrorism." Yechury, after arguing that the U.S. hunt for Osama Bin Laden was really a hunt for Afghanistan's petroleum resources, concluded, "It is chilling to realise that it is such cold-blooded pursuit of economic interests and profits that defines U.S. maneouvres in the region and its attacks on Afghanistan. That all this should happen in the name of grieving the death of nearly 7000 innocent American lives is plain cruelty. The world today is being asked to side with the U.S. in a fight against global terrorism. This is only a cover. The world is being asked today, in reality, to side with the U.S. as it seeks to strengthen its economic hegemony. This is neither acceptable nor will be allowed. We must forge together to state that we are neither with the terrorists nor with the U.S."

Meanwhile, Susanto Pudjomartono, an editor for The Jakarta Post in Indonesia, suggested that Musharraf may not be the only Asian leader to benefit from Washington's promises of new support. Pudjomartono, noticing a new self-confidence and "I'm in charge attitude" in Indonesian president Sukarnoputri Megawati, wondered if the changes were the result of new promises of support from Washington.

Musharraf Says Taliban Split, Won't Seek Halt to War | South China Morning Post (independent), Hong Kong, Oct. 31, 2001.
Globalization and Talibanization | Vandana Shiva, Outlook India (independent weekly), New Delhi, Oct. 30, 2001.
Editorial: Doomsday Option | The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 30, 2001.
Editorial: In the Shadow of a Heinous Crime | The Hindu (conservative), Chennai, India, Oct. 30, 2001.



Execution Points to Strategy's Fatal Flaw | Maseeh Rahman, South China Morning Post (independent), Hong Kong, Oct. 27, 2001 (requires free registration).
The United Nations in a New World | The Philippine Inquirer (independent), Manila, Philippines, Oct. 27, 2001.
Editorial: Too Many Cooks? | The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 26, 2001.
Aerial Bombardment in the Racist Present | Vijay Prashad, Outlook India (independent weekly), New Delhi, Oct. 26, 2001.
At Home, Civil Liberties under Attack | Ashfak Bokhari, Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 26, 2001.
New U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Wants to Approach Muslims | The Indonesian Observer (independent), Jakarta, Oct. 26, 2001.
A Shanghai Rendezvous of Terror | Mgg Pillai, Malaysiakini.com (online, independent), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 25, 2001.



Global Realignment? | Howard Winant, Outlook India (independent), New Delhi, Oct. 23, 2001.
Editorials: Code for Protesters and War's Widening Scope | The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 23, 2001.
All Talk, No Action | Dini Djalal and John McBeth, The Far Eastern Economic Review (centrist newsmagazine), Hong Kong, Oct. 23, 2001.
Editorial: The End? | The Philippine Inquirer (independent), Manila, Philippines, Oct. 23, 2001.


Is the War Story a West Side Story? | The Times of India (conservative), New Delhi, Oct. 21, 2001.
Editorial: Sharon's Killing Spree | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 20, 2001.
Editorial: Disinfecting the Anthrax Threat | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 20, 2001.
Editorial: Time-Out to Think | The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 20, 2001.
Bombing into a Quagmire | Malaysiakini.com (independent, online), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 19, 2001.
Acid Test for Asian Muslims | Greg Sheridan, The Australian (centrist), Sydney, Oct. 18, 2001.


To Understand Why | Ghazi Salahuddin, The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 16, 2001.
Editorial: Shepherding the Media | The Hindu (conservative), Chennai, India, Oct. 16, 2001.
Editorial: When the Pot Calls the Kettle Black | Malaysiakini.com (independent, online), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Oct. 16, 2001.
Anthrax Scare Hits Japan | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 16, 2001.
Editorial: Stand up, Speak up | The Straits Times (independent), Singapore, Oct. 16, 2001.



America, Oil and Imperialism | Sitaram Yechury, The Hindu (conservative), Chennai, India, Oct. 13, 2001.
Combatting Fear, Terror, and Intolerance | Tony Blair, The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 13, 2001.
Extremism, Terrorism, and Fundamentalism | Anwar Syed, Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 13, 2001.
Editorial: Strengthen Coalition | The Straits Times (independent), Singapore, Oct. 13, 2001.
Hijacked Islam—Who, Indeed, Mr. Anwar? | Farish A. Noor, Malaysiakini.com (independent), Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, Oct. 11, 2001.
Interview: Hiroshi Taguchi—Koizumi's Perveted Logic on the Issue War | Asahi Shimbun (liberal), Tokyo, Oct. 11, 2001.


Musharraf: Will the Great Survivor Survive? | B. Raman, Outlook India (independent weekly), New Delhi, Oct. 10, 2001.
Editorial: A Dangerous Idea | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 10, 2001.
Fighting Terrorism: Between Idealism and Realism | Mochtar Buchori, The Jakarta Post (independent), Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 10, 2001.
Editorial: Law and Law-Breakers | The News (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 10, 2001.
Editorial: Statesmanlike Act | The Frontier Post (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 10, 2001.
Ambivalence May Prevent True Solidarity Role | Yoshibumi Wakamiya, Asahi Shimbun (liberal), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 9, 2001.



Bombs and Pakistan's Return | Rene Q. Bas, The Manila Times (independent), Manila, Philippines, Oct. 9, 2001.
Editorial: Spare the Afghan People | The Jakarta Post (independent), Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 9, 2001.
Missing: Muslim Global Media | Javed Jabbar, Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 8, 2001.
Editorial: Government's Writ? | The Frontier Post (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 8, 2001.
Editorial: The Extension and Beyond | The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 8, 2001.
Editorial: Magnum Force | The Times of India (centrist), New Delhi, Oct. 8, 2001.
Before the U.S. Strikes on Afghanistan:

Editorial: The Counter-Terrorism Support Law Does Not Imply Going To War | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 6, 2001.
Excerpt: “As a matter of course, the bearing of arms overseas, as well as the right to collective defense, are forbidden by the Japanese Constitution. Following this first principle is of the utmost importance. As a member of international society, we must also fulfill our role by providing backup and medical support to the expected flood of refugees from Afghanistan, while remaining true to principle. This bill is nothing other than a humanitarian measure. The opinion that this bill is unconstitutional, an interpretation of the constitution, is a deceptive criticism. No matter what happens, we must not go to war. We request that the Diet steadfastly protect this fundamental principle while helping to implement this bill. It is essential to respond to the changing situation with deliberation, and the inclusion of the Diet in crafting the basic plan.”
Eyes Wide Shut | Abheek Barman, The Times of India (conservative), New Delhi, Oct. 5, 2001.
D-Day Is Near | Shafqat Mahmood, The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Oct. 5, 2001.
Musharraf and Terrorism, Part II | B. Raman, Outlook India (independent weekly), New Delhi, Oct. 4, 2001.
Editorial: Focusing on the New U.S. Defense Blueprint | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 4, 2001.
It Will Take More than Military Force to Win this War | Alan Dupont, The Australian (centrist), Sydney, Oct. 3, 2001.
Editorial: U.S. Anti-Terrorism War May Prove Tragic for Aceh | The Jakarta Post (independent), Jakarta, Indonesia, Oct. 3, 2001.
Editorial: Anti-Terrorism Bill Needs Deep Debate | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 2, 2001.
War Will Hurt American and Global Interests | Jeffrey Sachs, The Straits Times (conservative), Singapore, Oct. 2, 2001.
Biological Weapons: Not the End of the World | Henry Miller, The Straits Times (independent), Singapore, Oct. 1, 2001.
Bush's New Best Friend | Lynne O'Donnell, The Australian (centrist), Sydney, Oct. 1, 2001.
A King 'Italycized' | Nina Zu Furstenburg, Outlook India (independent weeky), New Delhi, India, Oct. 8, 2001 issue.
Editorial: The U.N. Security Council Resolution Against Terrorism | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Oct. 1, 2001.

An Alliance Strained, but Solid

Largest Malaysian Opposition Party: 'Muslims Backing United States Betray Islam' | The Straits Times (independent), Singapore, Sept. 28, 2001.
Editorial: The Pakistani-U.S. Divergence | The Frontier Post (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Sept. 28, 2001.
President Arroyo's Dilemna | Amante E. Bigornia, The Manila Times (independent), Manila, Philippines, Sept. 26, 2001.
Conditioning Americans for a Long War | Beth Day Romulo, The Manila Bulletin (conservative), Manila, Philippines, Sept. 27, 2001.
Editorial: Why this Media Circus? | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 26, 2001.
Editorial: Aims Matter | The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Sept. 26, 2001.
Editorial: Bumpy Landing | The Times of India (conservative), New Delhi, India, Sept. 26, 2001.
Terror Without Boundaries | Rob Young, The India Express (liberal), New Delhi, Sept. 26, 2001.

Making Sense of the Disaster

Although the story continues to dominate headlines in East Asia, it is no longer East Asian newspapers' sole preoccupation. For example, Indonesia's The Jakarta Post continued coverage of the almost daily terrorist attacks there and centrist Tokyo daily Mainichi Shimbun, while devoting the bulk of its coverage to the fallout from Sept. 11's events, still found editorial space to devote to a "Father Pinched for Pouring Hot Milk on Baby."

Central and South Asian newspapers have been understandably more obsessed. On Sept. 15, Pakistan's centrist Dawn was caught up in the domestic political maelstorm that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's appeals for Pakistani assistance created there. On Sept. 17, as a Pakistani delegation extended its meeting with the Taliban, Pakistani and Afghan troops massed on either side of their shared border, and an influx of U.S. agents arrived in Islamabad, Dawn ran an Op-Ed piece by Robert Fisk, a mideast correspondent for London's Independent, considering the implications of Sept. 11's attacks on the political situation in the Middle East.

Meanwhile Pakistani and Indian newspapers alike are documenting the flight of Afghani citizens into Pakistan amid fears of U.S. strikes against Afghanistan.

From the Rubble of the World Trade Center, a More Compassionate New York | Anita Negi, The Hindustan Times (centrist), New Delhi, India, Translated, posted Oct. 4, 2001.
Who Did It? Osama or Mughniyeh? | The Times of India (conservative), New Delhi, Sept. 20, 2001.
Pakistan Lacks Political Steermanship in Crisis | The Frontier Post (left-wing), Peshawar, Pakistan, Sept. 20, 2001.
Tackling Terror | Kalyani Shanker, The Pioneer (independent), New Delhi, India, Sept. 20, 2001.
Support for United States Lays Deep Divisions in Pakistani Society | The Times of India (conservative), Sept. 20, 2001.
Highlights from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's Address to Nation | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 19, 2001.
War Against the Planet | Vijay Prashad, Outlook (independent weekly), New Delhi, Sept. 17, 2001.
The Awesome Cruelty of a Doomed People | Robert Fisk, Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 17, 2001.
Thousands of Afghans Throng Border | Dawn (centrist), Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 15, 2001.
Beleaguered Afghans Stream Out of Kabul | The Times of India (conservative), New Delhi, Sept. 15, 2001.
Social Democratic Party Leader Takako Doi Concerned over Koizumi's Unconditional Support for United States | Mainichi Shimbun (centrist), Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 15, 2001.
China Refutes Ties to Taliban | Xinhua News Agency (government-owned), Beijing, China, Sept. 15, 2001.
The Worst Tragedy in American History | Mukhtar Ahmad Butt, Daily Jang (pro-government), Karachi, Pakistan, Sept. 15, 2001.
Excerpt: On Tuesday America suffered the worst tragedy of its history when suicide attacks hit World Trade center and Pentagon. Everyone around the globe is shocked and grieved over the colossal loss of innocent lives...

It is only natural that Bush is enraged. The solution of terrorism is not more terrorism [war?] as it gives birth to terrorism and the ripple continues to widen. My sincere advice to Bush and the Americans is not to be emotional or to talk of revenge but think carefully and coolly over the tragic incident and then come to a well-reasoned conclusion.

Editorial: Doomsday for United States | The News (leftist), Peshawar, Pakistan, Sept. 13, 2001.
Excerpt: "The attacks must provide an occasion for the U.S. establishment to pause and think about whether the hard line they have adopted is proving to be in their best interests. The desperation of the attackers, whoever they are, indicates that [they] were so strongly driven and angry at the Americans that they not only stopped caring for their own lives, they did not consider claiming the lives of thousands of other victims. If America was preparing and waiting for an Armageddon, it has now happened...

The rest of the world should review its policies on all flashpoints: the Middle East being at the top of the list, followed by South Asia where Kashmir and Afghanistan provide justification to hundreds and thousands of militants to adopt violent ways to seek justice, after having lost all hope that they would ever get their rights through peaceful means. These militant groups also have their roots in frustration born out of injustice. Unless the world leaders put their heads together and seriously try to find a way to end this bloodletting, we can expect to see more Black Tuesdays, making lives of the people around the world insecure. If ever there was a wake-up call for the world to resolve simmering issues, this one has been the loudest and the costliest.




In the Immediate Aftermath:
Asian newspapers initially responded to the terrorist attacks on the United States with shock, horror, and sympathy. Front-page articles on the tragic incident and condemnations of international terrorism dominated front pages across Asia. As the days passed, however, editorials—from India, Taiwan, China, and Japan, for example—began to take a more inward approach, trying to assess their own vulnerability in light of what had occurred in the nation believed to be the world's only superpower. Chinese papers, which are normally critical of a perceived American "hegemonistic attitude," feared that the attacks would bring an already fragile world market to global economic depression. Predominantly Muslim countries, like Indonesia and Pakistan, condemned the terrorist acts, but hoped that the United States would reflect on why it was targeted so viciously, learn from its mistakes, and react rationally.

Editorial: Pakistan's Promise of Cooperation | Dawn (pro-government), Lahore, Pakistan, Sept. 14, 2001.
Editorial: Act with Caution | The Straits Times (conservative), Singapore, Sept. 13, 2001.
Editorial: Learning from Tuesday's Tragedy | The Taipei Times (pro-government), Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 14, 2001.
The Whole World Now Faces a Danger Greater than It Ever Did During the Cold War | Renmin Ribao (government-owned), Beijing, China, Sept 13, 2001.
Abstract: "The pressing question is not who did this to America, but why did they choose this method of attack? The whole world is affected by this terrorism, because not only does it put everyone's safety in jeapordy, but the attack has grave implications politically, economically, socially, and militarily."
Editorial: National Security Intelligence Cannot Be Neglected | Liberty Times (pro-government), Taipei, Taiwan, Sept. 14, 2001.
Abstract: "The terrorist attack on American soil is an attack on the longtime feelings of security that Americans have felt. There is a great loss of confidence in U.S. intelligence agencies, as American people wonder how they could not be protected from a tragedy of this magnitude. In actuality, not only have the Americans lost confidence in their intelligence agencies, but the rest of the world has too."