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World View
- By Joseph Marques, Staff Writer
- Published: 01:04 February 8, 2008
It was a thrilling "Super Tuesday" in the primaries for the US presidential elections. In Chad, rebels mounted an unexpected attack on the volatile African country, and in Serbia, the moderate Boris Tadic was re-elected as the president by an overwhelming majority. These events were contemplated, analysed and commented on. We present here excerpts of editorials from the regional and the international press.
Super Tuesday
The US primary race is going to be a tight finish, at least for the Democrats as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were involved in a slugfest and were running neck and neck on "Super Tuesday". However, for the Republicans, John McCain, who was trailing at the start of the campaign, has moved far ahead of the pack and is now the frontfrunner for his party's nomination.
Commenting on the turn of events, The Independent said: "The primaries have thus become a means of teasing out variety in a way that the presidential contest no longer does. While McCain has taken on the mantle of the Republican centre, Mike Huckabee has muscled in with the views of the religious right and Mitt Romney has come to speak for the business-oriented right. Where [Hillary] Clinton has picked up traditional Democrat voters among the Hispanics and the poor and added to it the women's vote, [Barack] Obama has seized the votes of the young and the blacks. He has traded on the desire for change, she on the need for experience and McCain on the patriotic centre. Commentators may talk of a dream ticket of McCain-Huckabee and Clinton-Obama, but it is far too early for that. And quite properly so."
Given the close contest, Washington Post stated that the race is far from over. "While John McCain pulls ahead, the Democratic contest remains close," it remarked.
"The continuation of the contests in both parties is good news for voters, especially those in the Washington area, where all three jurisdictions will hold primaries next Tuesday. As it turns out, the states that rushed, lemming-like, to schedule their voting on February 5, the earliest permissible day, weren't as smart as they thought. So many states held contests - 22 on the Democratic side, 21 for Republicans - that voters scarcely had the chance to see the contenders as they whizzed by. It turns out the post-February 5 states will be anything but the irrelevant afterthought once feared."
The Guardian termed it as the most enticing American election in decades, "but 2009 is still many months away. The world of now has business that cannot wait - particularly in Afghanistan. These essential decisions will do much to shape the situation facing George Bush's successor".
Rebels in Chad
In Chad, thousands of rebels stormed the capital N'Djamena in an apparent attempt to oust President Idriss Deby. The African nation and its neighbours, especially Sudan and Central African Republic (CAR) are mired in humanitarian issues arising from the ethnic conflicts involving tribes having ties with all the three countries. Thousands of refugees are displaced, especially in Darfur and in the bordering areas Chad and CAR.
Commenting on the rebels' attack, Arab News remarked: "The timing of the rebel assault may be significant. Last Friday the first elements of an EU force were due to be deployed in eastern Chad as protection for the quarter of a million Sudanese refugees from Darfur in the camps. These unfortunates have come under increasing attack from pro-Khartoum forces which include at least one of the Chadian rebel groups, the United Force for Democracy and Development (UFDD). Brussels has suspended the deployment. Strategically this is understandable since, if Deby is overthrown, the European troops around the camps could find themselves under threat. From a humanitarian point of view, the delay could be disastrous for the refugees."
It concluded by saying: "Once again, the highest price is being paid by innocent civilians while strongmen and their outside backers jockey for power."
The Christian Science Monitor highlighted the refugees angle by calling on the international community to protect the interest of the thousands of refugees in Chad and its bordering areas of Sudan.
"An armed rebellion in Chad threatens hundreds of thousands of refugees," it warned. It called on the various players in the region to protect the people displaced by the conflict. "As France and other nations continue to deal with the violence in Chad and Darfur, they must let humanitarian concerns be their guide."
Serbia election
Serbians reposed their faith in their moderate leader Boris Tadic who campaigned on the slogan of "Both Kosovo and EU".
The New York Times hailed Tadic's victory by saying, "Serbia's voters wisely chose future hopes over past resentments in handing a narrow but important re-election victory to President Boris Tadic."
"Tadic's re-election makes it possible to avoid the worst dangers surrounding Kosovo's long-delayed independence. That will require patience and sensitivity on the part of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders - and their supporters in Washington and Brussels - and political courage from Tadic. Washington and Brussels also need to quickly find ways to strengthen Tadic's hand," it added.
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