Cablegate: Media Reaction War Against Terror; Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLASSIFIED PTO0888

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ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AF-00 AID-00 A-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00
INL-00 USNW-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00 DS-00 EUR-00 UTED-00
VC-00 TEDE-00 IO-00 LAB-01 VCE-00 DCP-01 NSAE-00
IRM-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00 DSCC-00 DRL-02 NFAT-00
SAS-00 /004W
------------------31919A 190531Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0068
INFO NSC WASHDC
AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003123

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR,
NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION WAR AGAINST TERROR; HARARE

1. UNDER HEADLINE "HE WHO SHELTERS A THIEF DIES WITH THE
THIEF," THE OCTOBER 18 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY
"THE DAILY NEWS" CARRIED THE FOLLOWING OPINION PIECE BY
SAUL GWAKUBA NDLOVU UNDER HIS COLUMN "A VIEW FROM THE
MATOPOS":

". . .IT IS VERY STRANGE THAT SOME GOVERNMENTS ARE
CRITICIZING THE U.S.-BRITISH MILITARY ACTIONS AGAINST
AFGHANISTAN. WHAT ALTERNATIVES DOES THE WORLD, MINUS
AFGHANISTAN, HAVE EXCEPT TO ATTACK THOSE WHO GIVE
PROTECTION, COMFORT AND SUCCOR TO ARCHITECTS OF
INTERNATIONAL TERROR? .AN OLD AFRICAN TRUISM SAYS: HE
WHO SHELTERS A THIEF DIES WITH THE THIEF. THAT IS WHAT
IS HAPPENING IN AFGHANISTAN. .THE MODERN WORLD IS BASED
ON, FIRST AND FOREMOST, TOLERANCE OF OTHER PEOPLE'S
CULTURE. AN INTOLERANT CULTURE HAS NO PLACE IN THE
UNITED NATIONS CHARTER, OR THE ISLAMIC NATIONS, OR THAT
OF THE AFRICAN UNION, OR THAT OF THE ORGANIZATION OF
AMERICAN STATES. IT HAS NO PLACE IN ISLAM,
CHRISTIANITY, BUDDHISM, SHAMANISM, SHINTOISM, AND
HINDUISM."

2. UNDER HEADLINE "THE GLOBALIZATION OF TERROR," THE
OCTOBER 18 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "THE FINANCIAL
GAZETTE" CARRIED THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE BY SHIMON PERES,
ISRAEL'S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN
AFFAIRS:

"THE ATTACK ON THE TWIN TOWERS AND THE PENTAGON IN THE
U. S. A. ON SEPTEMBER 11 UNCOVERED ANOTHER SIDE OF
GLOBALIZATION - GLOBALIZATION OF TERROR. .THE WORLD IS
MOVING FROM A POSITION OF NATIONAL STRATEGY TO A
UNCLASSIFIED

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POSITION OF GLOBAL STRATEGY - FROM BATTLES BETWEEN
ARMIES TO A FIGHT AGAINST DANGERS. FROM A WORLD OF
ENEMIES (NATIONALISTIC) TO A WORLD OF DANGERS (GLOBAL).
GLOBAL DANGER HAS NO BORDERS. IT CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE
AND AT ANY TIME. UNFETTERED BY HUMAN VALUES, THE
ATROCITIES IT PERPETRATES ARE INDISCRIMINATE, LIMITLESS,
SLAUGHTERING CIVILIANS AND INNOCENT PEOPLE. IT
DISSEMINATES HORROR, IT IS THE PERSONIFICATION OF
PRESENT-DAY SATAN. THERE IS NO ROOM FOR COMPROMISE
BETWEEN EVIL ACTIONS AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR. .DEMOCRACY
CANNOT, AND MUST NOT, DIVERT ITSELF OF ITS MORAL VALUES,
EVEN IN THE FACE OF SUCH A BITTER WAR. .THE NEW DANGER
IS GREAT AND TERRIBLE. IT CANNOT BE OVERCOME WITH EMPTY
WORDS OR THE THREAT OF A SINGLE SWORD. YET IT MUST BE
DEFEATED. AND WE SHALL PREVAIL"

3. UNDER HEADLINE "EXPANSIONISM AT THE HEART OF AMERICA'S
WARS," THE OCTOBER 18 EDITION OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE
DAILY NEWS" CARRIED THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE BY FRANZ
SCHURMANN:

"AMERICA IS 225 YEARS OLD. FROM 1776 TO 2001, IT HAS
WAGED 11 MAJOR WARS. THE FIRST WAS THE REVOLUTIONARY
WAR AGAINST BRITAIN (1775 - 1781). THE 11TH IS THE
CURRENT WAR AGAINST AFGHANISTAN (2001). TEN OF THE WARS
INVOLVED FOREIGN ENEMIES. WHY SO MANY WARS? THE
SIMPLEST ANSWER IS: EXPANSIONISM. A MORE COMPLEX ANSWER
IS: EXPANSIONISM AND EMPIRE BUILDING. BUT 11 SEPTEMBER
2001 DISRUPTED THIS FLOW. ONCE AGAIN WE SEE THE GREAT
FEAR ARISING IN AMERICA, AS IN 1950. THEN, THE METAPHOR
FOR THE FEAR WAS 'COMMUNISM.' NOW IT IS 'TERRORISM.'
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 04 HARARE 03123 190531Z
THE PRIME TERRORIST IS OSAMA BIN LADEN, HEAD OF A
'TERRORIST ORGANIZATION' CALLED AL-QAEDA, AND A
CHARISMATIC MUSLIM SPIRITUAL LEADER. .IN GEOPOLITICAL
TERMS THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION HAS REPLACED THE EURO-
ATLANTIC REGION IN IMPORTANCE FOR AMERICAN INTERESTS."

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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