This Saturday The Washington Post summed up all the available information on the ‘Domodedovo’ act of terror and the investigation into it. At the end, the author of the article poses the question of Russia's ability to host major international events such as the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup safely, events designed to attract foreigners and their investment capital. The news agency also reported that the Dutch government froze official contacts with Iran on Saturday to protest against the hanging of a Dutch-Iranian woman. The Netherlands will raise the issue next week, when European Union foreign ministers meet in Brussels. The Netherlands will seek unspecified "collective measures" against Iran.
The Washington Post yesterday published an article entitled ‘For US, Egypt crisis recalls 1979 Iran.’ It states that the collapse of such an ally as Mubarak’s Egypt would likely embolden U.S. foes around the world, including Islamic extremists in the Persian Gulf, North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia, many of whom are fighting secular authority.
Another article covering the same subject was published by The Los Angeles Times, which suggests that, as with Iran 30 years ago, American leaders are again wrestling with the moral conflict between Washington's demands for democracy among its friends and strategic coziness with dictatorial regimes seen as key to stability in an increasingly complex world, particularly the Middle East. Current events in Egypt are widely compared with the Islamic revolution of 1979 in Iran throughout the media.
The New York Times published an article touching upon the ‘Domodevovo’ events. It is entitled ‘In Link to Caucasus, Russia Faces Old Problem’. The author suggests that ‘none of its strategies for stamping out the long-running insurgency in southern Russia — neither the harsh measures favored by some in the security services nor the social programs and infrastructure projects supported by many policy experts — have yielded much success.’ The article cites Mr. Bayev, who said a military clampdown in the North Caucasus was not possible, in part because the police and military are already stretched thin in the rest of the country. And the soft-power approach introduced under Mr. Medvedev — which emphasizes investment and job creation — has hit a wall because of pervasive corruption, he said. With all these solutions foundering, he writes, the government seems to have given up seeking new strategies.
Turkey's Hurriyet newspaper published an article that tries to answer the question: How do Gül and Erdoğan differ? During a trip to Strasbourg, President Abdullah Gül’s remarks on the presidential system, a new constitution, representative diversification and a new language of politics helped turn attention toward the Presidential Residence at Çankaya, Ankara, and bringing to light the differences of opinion between the president and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Finally, one can hardly say that Erdoğan and Gül agree on a new constitution. Gül believes a new charter should be prepared by well-attended participation. Yet Erdoğan is seeking a parliamentary majority in order to be able to change the Constitution on his own. The author suggests that the president’s view will gain more importance following the elections.
Iran's Press TV news agency reported that Iran's Parliament Speaker, Ali Larijani, has called on the international community to condemn the hegemonic policies of certain world powers against the Iranian nation, especially Israel, and take measures to confront such antagonistic and illegal actions in international relations.
