World press on Iran, Turkey and the Caucasus (April 11-12, 2012)

The Guardian published an article headlined 'Legality of attack on Iran's nuclear facilities hinges on UN charter'. Debate over the legality of an American or Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities centres on the provisions of the United Nations charter and earlier international law, says the author. According to him, some lawyers base their arguments on Article 51 of the UN charter, which recognises the "inherent right of individual or collective self-defence if an armed attack occurs," while others say that the UN charter is not explicit and that the issue is governed by customary international law. The key case is known as the "Carolina Test", which came out of an agreement between the US and Britain over the right to pre-emptive self-defence, involving a British raid on a US ship ferrying support to rebels in Canada, the author says.

Hurriyet published an article devoted to the Syrian crisis and the role Turkey should play to stop violence. "Perhaps Turkey’s stance on Syria may seem to be on a knife’s edge to some observers: sometimes overcautious, sometimes aggressive, taking too many risks. But Turkey is not a country thousands of kilometers away from the region; this is Turkey’s region as well, and it is natural to want to hear Turkey’s views on those two issues before going any further," the author of the article, Murat Yetkin, says. "What is happening in the region, especially in Syria, is not normal at all, and if the U.N. has nothing to say about the regime’s atrocities - as Annan said - against its own people, the veto-empowered members of the Security Council should begin to question the very existence of the U.N.," he believes.

Hurriyet also published an article on media freedom in Turkey. "Media freedom in this country is not great. Not at all. Turkey is on the blacklist of countries that routinely imprison journalists, and many Turkish media personalities complain of being compelled to censor themselves," the article reads.

The Moscow Times published an article by Jonathan Schell headlined 'A 'Disarmament War' Against Iran Will Fail'. "The aim of a disarmament war is to prevent proliferation, locally and regionally. Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons is one route to proliferation. But a war to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear arms is probably a quicker and surer route to the same destination," the author believes.