Arab Commentators Highlight U.S. Impotence in Face of Katrina

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


1//The Daily Star, Lebanon Wednesday, September 07, 2005

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=18279



ARAB COMMENTATORS HIGHLIGHT U.S. IMPOTENCE IN FACE OF KATRINA

By Agence France Presse (AFP)

CAIRO: The death and devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the slow response to the catastrophe by the Bush administration has shown up the "impotence" of the world's only superpower in the eyes of many in the Middle East. Some of the more vitriolic commentators in the Arab world even suggested the hurricane was a just revenge for American "killing and plundering" across the globe, including its war on Iraq.



"The Bush administration itself through its hegemony and enmity has targeted nations and people with all sorts of human Katrinas, shellings, killings and occupation," said Jordanian independent Arabic-language newspaper Al-Ghad.


(snip)



"The failure of the United States to deal with the consequences of Hurricane Katrina has highlighted the weakness of the American superpower," wrote Egypt's government newspaper Al-Akhbar.



" Bush is seen as a bad omen by the people of the United States," added editorial writer Galal Doweidar.


(SNIP)

"Bush has failed twice: He is as incapable of handling the crisis in New Orleans as the crisis in Iraq," said another editorial writer in Al-Akhbar.



A commentator on state television in U.S. arch-foe Iran said the response to Katrina showed the United States was a superpower "only on paper" and was "blind to the widening gulf" affecting the black population and the poor.



"Just as Chernobyl marked the end of the Soviet Union, which did not know how to help the victims, Katrina could have the same consequences for the United States," he said.

MORE

[valerief]

1. Who benefits from the fall of the US?

In order. Thanks.

[Maple]

2. Are you sure

you really want an answer to that?

[VegasWolf]

3. Just like our Emperor, our Empire has no clothes. Trillions of dollars

misspent in Iraq, political cronyism here at home, and capitalistic plundering by corporations outsourcing the american workforce, all has taken its gory toll. What a country this is.

[Canuckistanian]

4. He's emboldening the terraists....

And sapping the morale of the troops...

[NoQuarter]

5. Giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

Sounds like treason to me.

[Charles19]

6. US is super to rich white people still, just not poor or black people

[Boomer]

7. Paper Tiger

We've failed -- spectacularly -- in Iraq, and now in New Orleans.

Whether or not it is true, the impression is that the U.S. is more bluster than bite these days, that we have overextended our military and that our government is weak, indecisive and incompetent.

This will embolden our enemies. We are not invulnerable, in fact, we're barely up to the job of holding our own infrastructure together.

If there's anything left of this country after hurricane seasons and a winter without cheap fuel for heat, then maybe terrorists will sharpen their knives. But for the moment, we are our own worst enemy and they can just stand back and watch us bleed.

[bemildred]

8. Expect more nuke rattling, that's about all that's left. nt