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October 30, 2004
Excellent International Coverage from Tiny German Weekly
This week’s issue of Jungle World, titled “Battle for World Domination: The Hype over the US Election,” covers international interest in the US election in six articles better than any other source I’ve come across. The surprise is that Jungle World is a small (15,000 copies printed) leftist weekly paper out of Berlin that delivers non-conformist views on politics, economics and culture, aimed mostly at young people.
The lead article, by former Die Zeit writer Richard Herzinger, really shines when he says that the basic conflict between Americans and Europeans won’t be solved by either man. It lies deeper, namely in the different assessments of danger from terrorism and diverging geopolitical and economic interests. These divisions aren’t about the person in office or his politics, but rather about the increasing international competition between the two continents. In fact, although Europeans favor Kerry, his protectionist stance might actually make relations more difficult, Herzinger writes.
Further articles include:
-- an interview with Detlef Claussen, a professor at the University of Hannover, in which he says that anti-Americanism and Bush bashing from the left (the paper’s readership) is ridiculous. Americans take the vote seriously, he says, and the country’s deeds in the world include both good and bad.
-- an article from Belgrade that shows why Serbs are so fearful of a Kerry victory, with his seven-point plan to bring America back to Kosovo and resolve the situation as soon as possible (also pointing out that Bush’s Christian stance put him in the same league as Serbs).
-- an editorial that covers the British public’s hate of Bush, despite the official government stance as ally, and picks up on The Guardian’s idea of allowing non-US citizens to vote, since so many Americans don’t make use of their right and plenty of people around the world have an opinion.
-- an exploration of why Nigerians are predominantly pro-Bush, including oil money, corruption, and Bush’s gaffe in the last election that “Nigeria is an important continent”
-- an overview of both candidates plans with regard to the nations of the Caribbean, mainly Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.
Good coverage, from an unexpected source that I will continue to follow more closely.
Jungle World (Germany) – Battle for World Domination (Number 45, October 27, 2004)
Posted by Lauren Hertel at October 30, 2004 12:23 PM