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Between The Lines

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Between The Lines Archive
For The Week Ending Oct. 5, 2001

SPECIAL REPORT ANALYZING FALLOUT
FROM NEW YORK-WASHINGTON TERRORIST ATTACKS

THIS WEEK'S PROGRAM

LISTEN to this week's half-hour program of Between The Lines by clicking on one of the links below. Individual interview segments and news summary will be posted soon. MP3 files available until Oct. 10, 2001.

This week we present Between The Lines' summary
of under-reported news stories and:

Bush Rallies Public Support for War Against Terrorism
But Critics Warn Against Over-reaction

Interview by Scott Harris.

The nation, stunned and angered by the terror attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., reacted in a variety of ways to the tragic events of Sept. 11th: waving flags, holding prayer services and quietly reflecting on the devastation which claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people. Many, looking for direction from national leaders, rallied to support President Bush's call for an international war against terrorism.

As usually occurs during a crisis, the president's approval ratings soared. Bush, who had 50 percent support in late August, garnered an approval rating of 89 percent in a public opinion poll conducted by the New York Times and CBS News as reported on Sept. 25. Recent polls also indicate Americans overwhelmingly support military action against those found to be responsible for the attacks, and going to war with nations that harbor them. Although many citizens support proposals to curb constitutional rights in the interest of fighting terrorism, civil liberties advocates warn that dramatic measures could, in the long run, do more harm than good.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Matthew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive Magazine, who assesses the Bush administration's handling of the national crisis and the political climate that has emerged following the terror strikes against the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Contact The Progressive by calling (607) 257-4626 or visit their Web site at: www.progressive.org

After the Sept. 11 attacks against New York and Washington, calls from the White House for a new war against terrorism are widely supported throughout the nation. Although the world does not yet know the scope or precise targets of expected U.S. military action, there are fears that careless retaliation that would take the lives of innocent civilians in Afghanistan or elsewhere could fuel a wider and dangerous conflict throughout the world

The nation's peace movement, which opposed U.S. wars in Southeast Asia, Central America and the Persian Gulf, now finds itself confronting a potential new conflict, but with a very different set of circumstances. This time, however, the war is not an abstract issue thousands of miles away, but right here on our doorstep. Activists, like many citizens, have friends and family members who were killed, injured or personally affected by the recent attacks. Even though the threat of a U.S. military response this time provides some difficult challenges, peace groups around the nation have swung into action by organizing vigils to oppose revenge and racist attacks in dozens of cities. A day of action, on Sept. 20, calling for "peaceful justice" was coordinated in just over a week, by a coalition of students on more than 140 college campuses nationwide.

Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with peace activist David McReynolds, who has worked for many years with the War Resisters League based in New York City. McReynolds examines the issues confronting the U.S. peace movement, in the wake of assaults on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

That was David McReynolds of the War Resisters League. Contact the League by calling (212) 228-0450 or visit their Web site at: www.warresisters.org

Related links

  • pax.protest.net "A global calendar of pro-peace and anti-racism protests, meetings, benefits, and conferences"

During the 1980s, the Reagan and Bush administrations directed billions of dollars to support a number of Islamic fundamentalist groups fighting Soviet troops propping up an unpopular regime in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11th terror attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. was among those who were trained by, and fought alongside the CIA during those years.

After the Soviet Union was driven out of Afghanistan in 1989, U.S. allies there continued to fight one another, killing an estimated 45,000 civilians. The chaos and near total destruction of Afghanistan paved the way for a takeover of the country in 1996 by the extremist Taliban movement, with critical support provided by Pakistan. Once in power, the Taliban brutally suppressed women, homosexuals and non-Muslim Pakistan citizens.

In the wake of the Sept. 11th terror strikes, the Bush Administration has stated its intention to support the Northern Alliance, an army which continues to fight the Taliban government that provides safe haven to Osama bin Laden. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Sonali Kolhatkar, vice president with the Afghan Women's Mission, who summarizes the history of U.S. relations with Islamic fundamentalist groups in Afghanistan, while expressing concern about the character of new U.S. allies there.

Visit the group's Web site at www.afghanwomensmission.org

Related links:

  • Prior to terror attacks on Sept. 11, U.S. was working on a secret plan to capture Osama bin Laden and topple the Taliban government in Afghanistan. ("US 'planned attack on Taleban'," by George Armey, BBC News, Sept. 18, 2001)
  • Chechnya war refugees organize 70-day march to Moscow to call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the latest war that has killed thousands and has displaced 200,000. (In These Times, Sept. 3, 2001)
  • Media attention on growing modern day slave trade in West Africa galvanizes contemporary abolitionist movement. (The Internationalist, August 2001)

Credits:
Senior news editor/writer: Bob Nixon
Program narration: Arch Currie
News narration: Zelphia Hunter
Distribution: Anna Manzo, Harry Minot, Jeff Yates
Web editor/producer: Anna Manzo
Executive producer: Scott Harris

... MORE ...

Commentary on America's Crisis, from the Producer

"Respond to Terror With a Revolution of the Heart"

"Respond to Terror With a Revolution of the Heart," audio file in MP3.

Between The Lines Special Interviews

Special Report, Week Ending Sept. 21, 2001

Special Report, Week Ending Sept. 28, 2001

Ali Abunimah, vice president of Chicago's Arab American Action Network, interview in RealAudio, Sept. 12, 2001

In-Depth News Analysis

Third World Traveler, Foreign Policy section, collection of resources on www.thirdworldtraveler.com

"They can't see why they are hated: Americans cannot ignore what their government does abroad" by Seumas Milne, Guardian Unlimited, UK's Special Report on Terrorism in the U.S., Sept. 13, 2001

Economic Globalization Resources

ZNet's Global Economic Crisis resource site Excellent source for understanding global economics and trade issues and particularly in preparation for ongoing demonstrations about economic justice

"The Fight for Everything" A series of interviews with activists and leaders of grassroots, progressive groups analyzing the goals, strategy and tactics of the global social justice movement

Post Inauguration and Electoral Reform Resources

"National Lawyers Guild Considers Campaign to Impeach Supreme Court Justices Who Stopped Florida Vote Count" Between The Lines interview, Aug. 10, 2001

"Making Every Vote Count", The Nation Magazine, Special Section

Multi-Ethnic Public Issues Advocacy

Dr. Earl Ofari Hutchinson's Commentaries, The Hutchinson Report

Between The Lines' 10th Anniversary CD

 


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