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Tom's Take
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On Amanpour, we’ll find out if Obama’s Cairo speech has had any lasting impact on U.S. / Muslim relations. Christiane is joined by controversial Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan, in his first U.S. television interview since the Obama administration lifted his six year travel ban, and James Zogby, the president of the Arab American Institute. Ramadan is best known for his thoughts on Muslims in Europe and the compatibility of Islam with democracy. How does the American Muslim experience differ and what are the unique issues America’s Muslim population faces? There is plenty of other news to tell you about today. Here are some perspectives.
– Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
RUSSIA/U.S. – Does new U.S./Russia arms control agreement signal an era of improved relations between Washington and Moscow?
– Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev in Prague in the Czech Republic sign an agreement to cut their strategic nuclear warheads by one-third, and delivery systems by more than a half
– It’s the biggest arms control agreement between the two countries in a generation, and comes as the U.S. pushes for tough new measures to prevent nuclear proliferation
– At news conference in Prague, Medvedev and Obama reaffirmed their commitment to pursue new sanctions against Iran if Tehran continues to refuse to suspend uranium enrichment
QUESTION: Does apparent U.S./Russia unity on Iran sanctions make it easier to convince other countries such as China to support enhanced sanctions against Tehran?
KYRGYZSTAN – Does the overthrow of the government mark the end of violence in the Central Asian republic?
– Opposition pledges to address citizens’ concerns as a former foreign minister announces that President Kurmanbek Bakiev has been forced out of office and she’s now in charge as interim leader
– Wave of protests yesterday left at least 75 people dead and hundreds of others injured after clashes between demonstrators and security forces
– Former president is believed to have fled to the south of the country with his entourage. Opposition wants to negotiate the terms of his resignation
QUESTION: Will new government in Kyrgyzstan be any more successful over the long term in dealing with endemic corruption, nepotism, and the economic grievances of the nation’s population?
SRI LANKA – Do today’s parliamentary elections mark the beginning of a new peaceful era after the three decades long conflict with the Tamils?
– Country holds its first parliamentary election since ruling party of President Mahinda Rajapaksa militarily defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year
– Turnout at polling stations is reported to be low, despite heavy security and deployment of 75,000 police and soldiers
– President’s party is expected to easily win the election. Many analysts believe political stability afterward would increase the pace of the country’s rapid economic recovery
QUESTION: If the President’s party wins the election, will he loosen his vice-like grip on the nation, and lift measures that opposition groups say are designed to stifle dissent?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we ask what the upcoming presidential elections in Sudan will mean for the 2005 breakthrough agreement that ended a civil war that brought a measure of peace between north and south after the deaths of two million people. If President Omar al-Bashir ends up back in power, will he try to stop a referendum on independence for the south from taking place next year? Will these elections be free and fair, and what’s at stake for the international community and the people of Sudan? Sudan is just one of the stories making headlines today. Here are some perspectives.
– Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
SUDAN – Is the credibility of the first multi-party elections in more than two decades now in question?
– Ex-rebel Sudan People’s Liberation Movement extends its boycott of next week’s elections, saying it is pulling out of parliamentary and local races in the country’s northern provinces. SPLM accusing government of rigging poll
– SPLM decision follows its announcement last week that it’s also withdrawing its candidate from the national presidential race
– Elections are a crucial step in the north-south peace deal that ended a 21-year-old civil war between north and south, and paved the way for a referendum on whether the south should secede from Sudan
QUESTION: Should the elections be delayed to allow Sudan’s political rivals to work out their differences before a vote?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we look at the legacy of the wars in Chechnya after the terror attacks on the Moscow subway network. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s hard-line position may win him support on the home front, but is it really possible to crush separatist movements in the North Caucasus without sweeping political reforms in the region? The North Caucasus is one of the stories making news today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
RUSSIA – Is the North Caucasus region on the brink of a new explosion of violence?
– Suicide bomber kills at least two police officers and wounds four others in Russian republic of Ingushetia
– Bombing the latest in a series of attacks, including double bombing on Moscow subway that killed at least 39 people on March 29
– Analysts: radical Islamist rebels have broadened insurgency from Chechnya to entire North Caucasus region in recent years
QUESTION: Will Russian efforts to crush the insurgency have any lasting impact without political reforms to make regional governments in the North Caucasus more accountable to the people?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we look at the Catholic Church global sexual abuse scandal. Has it now reached into the top levels of the Vatican? There are new questions about what role, if any, Pope Benedict XVI played in handing pedophile priests to new parishes rather than to the law when he was an archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.
We look at the culture of impunity at the root of this crisis. Could this be due to a lack of women in positions of real power? Would the extent of the abuse have been averted if women provided a moral compass? Some cite the clergy’s celibacy vows as the culprit. Will all this force a debate about fundamental reform? This scandal is just one of the stories in the news today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
CATHOLIC SEX ABUSE SCANDAL – How far did the cover-up go in the Catholic Church?
– Pope today says he hopes upcoming pastoral letter on the scandal will “help repentance, healing, and renewal”
– Sources say Pope’s letter is likely to be released on Friday or Saturday
– Abuse scandal extends across the globe, from Germany to Ireland… Brazil to Australia… from the U.S. to Switzerland. It’s worst crisis in Catholic Church in centuries
QUESTION: Was there an international conspiracy by the Catholic Church to hide the true extent of the scandal over priests who abused children?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we focus on human rights and freedom of speech in China. Christiane speaks, in a global exclusive, with leading Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei. Ai Weiwei, who designed the “Bird’s Nest” stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has continued to highlight injustice through both his art and through social media like Twitter, despite surveillance, threats and physical attack. We ask Ai Weiwei about his art, the role of the social web and digital activism in China and beyond, as well as about the challenging role he plays on the world scene as an artist and social activist in China. That’s not the only story we are focusing on today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
MIDDLE EAST – Is the diplomatic dispute between U.S. and Israel worsening?
– U.S. peace envoy George Mitchell postpones trip to Middle East amid heightened tensions over Israel’s decision to build 1,600 new homes on disputed territory
– Dozens of masked Palestinians throw rocks at Israeli police and burn tires in east Jerusalem
– U.S. demanding that Israel abandon construction project, a demand that Israel calls “unreasonable”
QUESTION: Will growing tensions between U.S. and Israel be accompanied by new violence by Palestinian protesters furious at Israel?
FULL POST
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we bring you an interview with former Eurythmics and solo artist Annie Lennox, who is now fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa and trying to protect women and girls from HIV. She’s been at the United Nations to help launch a five-year plan to address these urgent issues. She’s one of our guests in today’s broadcast. There’s plenty of news to tell you about today as well. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
PAKISTAN – Why are insurgents stepping up their bomb attacks in Pakistan?
– Twin suicide bombings in Lahore today killed at least 39 people and wounded around 100
– Suicide bombers targeted military convoys, but most of casualties were civilians
– It was the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week, indicating insurgents are stepping up violence after a period of relative calm
QUESTION: Are the bomb attacks a sign that the Taliban in Pakistan has regrouped after recent setbacks?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we looked at this week’s ethnic violence in Nigeria, which has only served to highlight the issues facing the country at a time when it is suffering on many other fronts as well - from problems such as corruption and unemployment. Today, protests took place in the capital, Abuja. The demonstrations are set against the ongoing power vacuum after the return to Nigeria of the ailing President Umaru Yar ‘Adua, after medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) – Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo today declared that this week’s explosion of violence near the central city of Jos that claimed at least 200 lives is not driven by religious tensions between Christians and Muslims - but by ethnic, social, and economic problems.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Obasanjo said, “If you have one group or a community that has land that’s been encroached upon by another community or even by itinerant cattle farmers, then the people who lay claim to the land will fight back.”
“If there are job opportunities in an area, and persons believe they are indigenous to that area, and not getting enough out of the jobs that are available, they will fight those who are getting the jobs.”
Tom's Take
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/16/christianetom.jpg caption caption="Sr. Writer for Amanpour, Tom Evans, works on scripts with Christiane"]
On AMANPOUR. today, we take a look at the recent religious violence in Nigeria, which has only served to highlight the issues facing the country at a time when it appears to be suffering on many different fronts. Today, protests will take place in the seat of government power, Abuja. The protests are set against the ongoing power vacuum. Christiane gets to the root of the latest clashes and asks if the political void will allow for a further descent into violence. Nigeria is only one of the stories in the news today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
NIGERIA – How serious is the risk of a further escalation in ethnic violence in Nigeria?
– Witnesses say soldiers open fire on a crowd breaking a curfew just days after fighting between Christians and Muslims left more than 200 people dead, most of them Christians
– Residents in the Jos area in central Nigeria accuse the security forces of failing to provide security to the villages that were attacked Sunday
– Violence is latest in series of clashes over the past decade in the country’s “middle belt” where ethnic groups are battling to control fertile farmland
QUESTION: Will the Nigerian government take decisive action before the violence escalates into a much broader conflict between Nigeria’s Christians and Muslims?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. we focus on women in the Muslim world on this International Women’s Day. Are women’s rights compatible with Islam? Christiane looks at Sunday’s national elections in Iraq with a political activist working to get more women elected to the Iraqi Parliament. And then, Christiane sits down with three leading women activists from elsewhere in the Middle East to discuss the pressing issues in their respective countries and the region as a whole. From honor killings, to repressive family laws and added economic burdens exacerbated by the financial crisis, these three leaders are educating and organizing women to lobby their governments on gender equality in all realms. With the threat of encroaching Islamic fundamentalism, will women’s hard-won gains be reversed? The Iraqi election is among the top stories today. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
IRAQ – Will Sunday’s parliamentary elections help decrease sectarian and ethnic tensions in the country?
– Head of Iraq’s election commission tells Associated Press turnout for poll was 55 to 60 percent, which is down from roughly 76 percent in parliamentary elections in December 2005
– Faraj al-Haidari told AP the preliminary results are likely to be released in the next two to three days, most likely on Thursday
– U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill says overall, it was a “very successful election”. U.S. Commander, General Ray Odierno, say U.S. will draw down forces to 50,000 troops by the first of September, as scheduled, for a train and advise mission.
QUESTION: Will U.S. be forced to leave some combat troops in northern Iraq past September 1st because of tensions in that part of Iraq?
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we focus on the U.N. nuclear agency’s meeting in Vienna and Iran’s nuclear program. A recent IAEA report stated that Iran may now be trying to build a nuclear warhead and on Wednesday, the U.S. envoy to the IAEA Glyn Davies said Iran has been playing a "cat and mouse" game with the U.N. body. Iran is pushing back – accusing the IAEA of issuing a misleading and unbalanced report singling out Yukiya Amano, the new head of the IAEA, for undermining the Iran’s cooperation. Will this meeting bolster the case among U.N. Security Council members who support further, deeper sanctions against Iran and bring China and Russia onboard? We’ll find out. Iran is not the only story in the news today. Here are some perspectives.
– Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
NUCLEAR SHOWDOWN – Are new international sanctions against Iran inevitable?
– New York Times reporting U.S. circulating new draft proposal for sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program
– U.S. plan for new sanctions running into opposition not just from China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, but also other key countries such as Brazil and Turkey
– Iran’s envoy to the IAEA in Vienna is warning that Tehran may withdraw its counteroffer on the supply of nuclear fuel if there are any developments which “might disturb the climate of cooperation” as he puts it
QUESTION: Are hopes of a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran receding?
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