Excerpts from European and Asian Newspaper Editorials
About the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq:
The Daily Mirror (London) - Anyone who thinks this war is over is not living in the real world. ... The task ahead is huge. Far greater than overcoming a ragged army and deposing a hated ruler. ... Now Saddam has gone, we want to see this tragic country helped into a peaceful, fear-free life. But we also want our troops home as quickly as possible.
Apoyevmatini (Athens, Greece) - The fall of Saddam Hussein brought celebrations from Kurds, Shia Muslims and all the Iraqis who endured years of poverty, humiliation and a U.N. embargo that caused the deaths of little children. In a few days the celebration will stop, the cameras will leave and questions about the cause of the war and the future of Iraq will remain unanswered. The United States, with its huge military advantage, sent a clear signal from its hawks in Washington. It has still to prove that it can help shape a new century with less wars, bloodshed and barbarity.
La Stampa (Turin, Italy) - George W. Bush knows he won. But he would be making a grave mistake now if he were give in to the temptation to overdo his victory, humiliating the United Nations and the institutions of the international community, confining their work to a humanitarian role in the difficult peacemaking in Iraq.
The Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo, Japan): American and British forces practically routed the Iraqi troops on the strength of overwhelming military might. The battles were one sided ... But brute force alone cannot win the hearts and minds of the people. Without a stable peace - even if the war is won - there can be no true victory.
The New Straits Times (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia): Politics is different now. The United States has the power to alter governments it disapproves of. The imperious and arrogant in Washington believe the rights of man come not from God but from the generosity of Uncle Sam.
The News (Karachi, Pakistan): The war on Iraq has ended without any victors ... but there were many losers. The Americans, theirs was a hollow victory. The Islamic states which did not perform their fundamental duty to respond to a brother Islamic state in distress. The international community for its failure to put up a stronger opposition. The Arab states for their inability to fulfill their statements. The Western media for betraying its professed impartiality. The lessons are many, but the most important is that the world is no longer safe for states which chart a course that might not be in conformity with American plans for a brave new world.
Vremya Novostei (Moscow) - The capture of Baghdad may go down in history as one of the fastest and most successful military operations in urban conditions. The predictions of most analysts that the Iraqis could create a ``second Stalingrad'' for the Americans were wrong.
The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand): There is now a new environment (in Iraq), new feelings and a new mode of life. It may take some adjusting to, and there may be a lot of uncertainties, but at last it's a future tinged with hope. That is why the U.S. must exercise humility. Now that they have liberated the Iraqi people, Washington must not let its troops linger any longer than local hospitality will allow.
From AP
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