The Brown and White
Oct 18 2004
Distinguished panel of journalists hold forum
By Megan Schuler
Online News Writer
10/17/2004
The upcoming presidential election is very important to the future of
the world, a panel of journalists said Wednesday.
`The future of world government is at stake,” Sema Emiroglu, a
panelist from Turkey, said. “Kerry would win in a landslide if the
world voted.”
The panelists included five foreign correspondents from their
respective country’s journalism publications. They included Philippe
Coste, from L’Express, a French news magazine; Khaled Dawoud from
Al-Ahram, an Arab paper; Sema Emiroglu, from Milliyet, a Turkish
paper; He Hongze from The People’s Daily, a Chinese newspaper; and
Antonio Pasini from America Oggi, a US-based Italian daily newspaper.
The purpose of the panel discussion was to give audience members a
foreign perspective about the upcoming election and views of Bush’s
policies towards Iraq.
`The outcome of this election will shape the future of the world.
[The Prime Minister of Italy] is putting his political future in
this,’ Pasini said.
Hongze also agreed about the results.
`The number one issue is the Taiwanese, is worrisome, especially the
sale of arms,” Honze said. “The situation is now quite dangerous.
This election affects US/China relations.”
The discussion mainly focused on the war in Iraq.
`’My way or the highway’ attitude caused animosity. Turkey thought
the [Iraq] war was illegal,’ Emiroglu said.
`[The US thought] once we have a stronghold [in the Middle East],
there will be a domino effect, making the region pro-Western,’ said
Coste.
Dawoud said, `[Kerry] said he does not plan to occupy Iraq. [This
administration] is building military bases in Iraq.’
The war threatens possible stability in the region.
`Whatever happens in Iraq affects [Turkey],’ Emiroglu said. `There is
the possibility of civil war. If the Kurdish region becomes
independent, that is a huge threat to Turkey.’
All panelists agreed that world sympathy for the US after 9/11
quickly disappeared after Bush’s policies were started.
`He squandered all the worldwide support after 9/11. [Support]
started to erode with the attack on Iraq,’ Pasini said.
Emiroglu said, `Bush alienated the world, bullied allies, came [to
the Middle East] when it was advantageous. It cost the US
credibility. [The US] created more enemies at a time when they needed
friends.”
`I think people do not hate Bush, they hate his foreign policy,’ said
Hongze.
There was reference to a report that tried to justify the war in Iraq
even though there were no weapons of mass destruction.
Dawoud said, `To try to justify war, a team set out to predict what
Iraq capability would have been in 2008. In 2003, Iraq had 30% of its
1991 power.’
Pasini offered an explanation for the administration pursuing the
Iraq War.
`From Day One, this administration was planning a war with Iraq, and
they finally got an excuse [with 9/11],’ he said.
Coste said that if John Kerry was elected, problems would still
exist.
`John Kerry thought it was okay to commit European allies around him
if he was elected. [We are] afraid of ill-defined pressure,’ he said.
For Turkish-Americans, the recognition of the Armenian genocide is
their main issue.
`Kerry’s pro-Armenian position is important to us,’ said Emiroglu.
Each president has promised to recognize the event, but all have
reneged.
The panel discussion was sponsored by Global Union, International
Relations, Department of Journalism and Communication and Department
of Political Science.
This event happened on Wednesday in Whitaker 303, hours before the
final Presidential debate took place.