Follow Christiane on social media:
What time is Amanpour on CNN?
Check showtimes to see when Amanpour is on CNN where you are. Or watch online.
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 focus on the rising tensions this year between the U.S. and China. As the U.S. enters a rough patch in relations with this rising power over arms sales to Taiwan, a much delayed meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama, and the Google censoring dispute, are we witnessing a realignment of global power? How should the rest of the world respond to the shifting tectonic plates in the U.S.-China relationship? China and the U.S. top our roundup of the top stories of the day. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
CHINA/U.S. – What lies behind the growing friction between Washington and China?
– Beijing today hits back at U.S. on trade and economic policy, saying its currency is at a reasonable level and American companies are not at a disadvantage in China
– Washington and China already at loggerheads over other issues, such as Tibet, arms sales to Taiwan, and censorship and hacking targeting Google
– China’s economy, which weathered recession far better than the U.S. and Europe, is poised to overtake Japan as the world’s number two this year
QUESTION: Is China’s growing assertiveness on the world stage the beginning of a new era in China’s relations not just with the U.S. but the rest of the world as well? FULL POST
And now your feedback
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]
Amanpour viewers pondered about the impact that the Mexican government has exerted in México’s drug violence. Former Mexican foreign minister, Jorge Castañeda and Consul General, Ruben Beltran shared their plan to encourage the Mexican military and the President’s initiatives to counter such violence and viewers expressed hope. The most commented solution the majority of viewers proposed was to legalize marijuana and tax it. This suggested solution by the audience was in an effort to end violence and increase the economy in México.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Facebook comments
Marìa Eva Otero I live in Argentina.
My questions are:
1) Why when there treats itself the topic of the cartels of the drug, does only speak about the " Mexican problem "? When there is a conflict of this nature, there are two involved sides: one that provides and other that consumes, both promoted themselves.
2) do'nt you believe that USA has not made, up to the present, a rational analysis on his role, in this tragedy that lives Mexico, and because of it it has not been solved but the stage has worsened?
And this question counts also for the inmigratory topic....
Maggie Andras I live in Southern California..Question.. Why is it with as many Federal and local officers I see when I've gone to Rosarito Beach, Mexico almost every month,you have such a problem with drug cartels?? We handled our Italian Mafia, you should be able to handle your Mexican Mafia.
Thomas J. Colatrella Legalize Marijuana and rob these murderers of 70% of their income. of course our corrupt bankers who laundered $384 billion in drug money last year alone are completely against this...and the Bankers rule America..and Obama..!
Burqa becomes focus of tense debate in Europe
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
As France moves closer to a partial ban on the burqa, a leading European lawmaker declared Wednesday that the full Muslim veil is a symbol of political Islam and has no place in Europe.
"The majority (of Europeans) don't want the political Islam and the symbols of political Islam. And the burqa is part of the political Islam that the majority rejects," Naser Khader, a Syrian-born Conservative member of the Danish Parliament, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
But he insisted that opposing political Islam is not the same as being "Islamophobic."
"Wearing the burqa and niqab is oppressive of women. And many Muslims are against the burqa and niqab," he said, referring to Islamic women's clothing that covers from head to toe.
// Khader said the majority of the estimated 20 million Muslims living in the European Union are well-integrated, law-abiding and loyal citizens.
"The burqa and niqab have no place in Western Europe", he added.
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 focus on Islam and Europe. With recent news that France is moving closer to banning the full Muslim veil, the recent attack on the Danish cartoonist by a Somali man with links to al-Shabaab, and the banning in Britain of a radical Islamic group, Europe is grappling to come to terms with its growing Muslim minority. After years of accepting Muslim immigrants, some European nations are growing fearful of the Muslims in their midst and placing new limits on immigration and the activities of extreme Islamic groups. Some politicians are capitalizing on those fears, making Islam a hot political issue in Europe. Is Europe feeling it’s had enough of Islam? There are plenty of other stories to tell you about as well. Here are some perspectives on some headlines in the news today.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
PAKISTAN/U.S. – How big is the U.S. military footprint in Pakistan?
– Three U.S. troops are among seven people killed in a roadside bomb attack in northwest Pakistan near a school
– Pakistan says American troops are in the country to help train local security forces
– Bombing could be retaliation for repeated U.S. drone strikes against Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in border area near Afghanistan
QUESTION: Will there be a political backlash in Pakistan against the use of U.S. military personnel to train Pakistani security forces?
IRAQ – Are terrorists trying to stir up ethnic hatred by attacking Shia pilgrims?
– Bombing kills 20 people and wounds 117 others in holy city of Karbala, south of Baghdad
– Attack one of four targeting Shia pilgrims Wednesday who are celebrating the Arbaeen, the end of the 40-day mourning period that closes Ashura
– Blasts raising fears Sunni extremists may be trying to disrupt the pilgrimage
QUESTION: Will the Shia community in Iraq stay calm in the face of these bomb attacks – or will Shia extremists retaliate?
SUDAN – Will decision to allow genocide case to proceed against Sudanese president lead to more vigorous international action to apprehend him?
– Appeal judges order International Criminal Court to rule again on whether to allow genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for his role in campaign of violence in Darfur
– Al-Bashir, who remains in office, already facing charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity
– Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo wanted al-Bashir to face genocide charge at same time, but pre-trial judge left that off original arrest warrant, citing lack of evidence
QUESTION: Will countries that have allowed al-Bashir to visit in the past now consider arresting him if he travels again?
Former Mexican official urges legalizing marijuana
(CNN) – The United States and Mexico should both legalize marijuana in an attempt to break the power of the Mexican drug cartels and end the spiraling violence south of the border, Mexico’s former Foreign Minister said Tuesday.
Jorge Castaneda, in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, said, “It should be legalized in both countries”. He stated it was ridiculous for Mexico to try to stop marijuana from entering the U.S. when it’s legally sold for medical purposes in Los Angeles.
“The Drug Enforcement Administration says that 60 percent of the Mexican (drug) cartels’ profits come from marijuana. If we start with that, it’s a big chunk”, he added.
“We can’t do everything overnight.. and we can’t do it in Mexico if the U.S. doesn’t do it at the same time.”
Castaneda strongly criticized Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon for declaring war against the drug cartels, a war that has cost as many as 17,000 lives since he took office in December 2006.
And now your feedback
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/11/17/feedback.jpg caption="Christiane – all ears for the feedback."]
President Karzai’s plan for reconciliation with the Taliban proved a popular topic among Amanpour viewers. Most were in support of the initiative Karzai proposed while others commented, “This is a deal with the devil!” Additionally, Haiti continued to be mentioned positively as the majority of the audience expressed a grand appreciation for the United Nations’ project to pay Haitians for labor cleanup.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://amanpour.com for more information.
Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Comments about President Karzai
Marius Manqoba Redelinghuys Basic counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism theory holds that you have to undermine the legitimacy and public perception of any terrorist / insurgent group.
The Taliban, up-to-date, have been largely unsuccessful in their bid to garner public sympathy for their cause and ideals, and have really, to a large extent, shot themselves in the foot, so to speak.
By having the Afghan government make the move, and take the so-called moral high ground, I believe it will only further serve to illustrate the extent to which the Taliban is no longer a credible threat. It is evident that the bargaining chips are held mainly by the government, and should the Taliban reject such approaches it will, I believe, only further undermine the public sympathy and legitimacy, especially since the government is the product of a democratic election....
Mobolaji Babalola I dont think there is a way they can win over the taliban, thay are mean and also strong and things will only get worse if the war continues. President Karzai will reconcile with the taliban if he wants to run his country and the citizen would learn to live with the taliban laws soon they will get used to it. I think.
On my way home from Haiti
By Vladimir Duthiers
I am on my way home now.
As I prepare to leave Haiti, my mind drifts to the people I've met:
Bea, the young girl pulled from the rubble hours after my arrival. Monley, the five year-old boy rescued after eight days trapped under his home with his dead father at his side. The overworked and haggard but inspired doctors and nurses who worked on him long after his release.
The hundreds of international volunteers and rescue teams led by heroes like Pat Rohaley of the LA County Fire Department. I think of the things I have experienced, seen, heard and felt. Hope when I heard a cry and a faint banging in a collapsed daycare, and helplessness after telling a young mother that the search for her child was being called off even as she looked to her faith for deliverance. I've seen homes pancaked and bodies by the hundreds, and I've seen Haitian men, women and children pitch in with whatever meager tools they have to dig out neighbors and strangers alike.
I've heard the screams of terror and the pitiful cries to God in the wake of bone rattling aftershocks and I've heard joyful singing and jubilant bongos in praise of Him. And it was in those moments that the tragedy of the earthquake became visceral.
The defiance of Haitian people in the wake of unspeakable tragedy, the shaking of their fists in the face of suffering. Their homes destroyed, their families decimated, they still rage against the dying of the light.
This country, born of the blood of slaves against the superpower of the 19th century, and tempered by years of turmoil and political upheaval, will go on. Not because they are resilient but because they must.
Winston Churchill once said, "We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." Haitians have known that since 1804. They are survivors and they will survive together. After all, it's an ideal emblazoned on their flag: "le union fait la force."
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 look at the aftermath of the massacre of at least 16 students at a birthday party in Juarez in Mexico this past weekend. The attack comes just weeks after Mexican President Felipe Calderon sent 2,000 U.S.-trained federal police officers to help restore order in this border city. The drug war in Mexico has claimed an estimated 17,000 lives in the past three years. Christiane looks at the effectiveness of Calderon’s military-style campaign against the narco-traffickers. Is militarization the price Mexican society must pay to win back the country? And in the process will the very fabric of Mexican democracy be torn apart? There are also other important stories to tell you about today. Here are some perspectives on some other headlines.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
CHINA/U.S. – Will new tensions between U.S. and China worsen already strained relationship?
– China warns U.S. that any meeting between President Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama would harm bilateral relations between the two countries
– White House has not set a date for a meeting, but Dalai Lamai – Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader – will be in U.S. in late February and in May
– Row over Tibet comes amid diplomatic tensions over Google’s charges of censorship and hacking by China, and dispute over U.S. plan to sell “defensive” weapons to Taiwan
QUESTION: Who has the stronger hand in the diplomatic maneuvering between the U.S. and China – Washington or Beijing?
@camanpour on Twitter
