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### Viewing cable 03OTTAWA2473, MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; WTO; AFRICA; U.S.

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Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
03OTTAWA2473 | 2003-08-29 12:35 | 2011-04-28 00:00 | UNCLASSIFIED | Embassy Ottawa

`

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

` `

    UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002473

    SIPDIS

    STATE FOR WHA/CAN, WHA/PDA
    WHITE HOUSE PASS NSC/WEUROPE, NSC/WHA

    E.O. 12958:  N/A
    TAGS: KPAO KMDR OIIP OPRC CA
    SUBJECT:  MEDIA REACTION: IRAQ; WTO; AFRICA; U.S.
    POLITICS

    IRAQ
    ¶1.   "Leaving Iraq would be unparalleled disaster"
    Columnist David Warren reflected in the nationalist
    Ottawa Citizen (8/27): "...[T]he situation [in Iraq]
    continues to improve. It was never going to be a rose
    garden, but it is clear to impartial observers within
    the country that Iraqis themselves are co-operating -
    the overwhelming majority within each of its religious
    and ethnic groups, including even the Sunnis, co-
    operating with each other and with the U.S. military to
    hunt down Baathists and insurgents, and rebuild the
    country both physically and institutionally, even
    through the baking summer heat. It is the most
    promising event in post-colonial Arab history. Yet it
    could all be overthrown tomorrow if the U.S. decides it
    cannot stay the course. Terrorism achieves its results
    by drama.... [T]he problem, from the political view, is
    that while the U.S. soldiers may be risking their lives
    for the good of Iraq, what they are doing for the folks
    back home is much less obvious. It is very real - for a
    functioning, non-totalitarian Iraq will make a huge
    difference in the fate of nations - but this requires
    some explanation. Back home in the U.S., people want to
    know how they are benefiting, by
    putting the lives of 'our boys' on the line.... The
    American people have grown tired of being in Iraq, and
    want to move on. Their attention is refocusing on
    domestic threats, and the Democrats are making hay with
    the notion that progress against the enemy abroad is
    made at the cost of progress at home. This is a lie,
    but it is a good one.... The question on my
    mind is thus, will the Americans funk out? And the only
    thing I can say for sure is that if they do, it will be
    an unparalleled disaster. For 9/11 itself was the
    payback for the last U.S. funk-out from its
    responsibilities as a superpower."

    WTO
    ¶2.   "WTO: the rich get more"
    Columnist Paul Knox commented in the leading Globe and
    Mail (8/27): "...[I]f globalization is a win-win no-
    brainer, why are international trade negotiations in
    such a mess? There's continued pessimism about the
    chances of a comprehensive free-trade-area-of-the-
    Americas deal clicking into place on schedule at the
    beginning of 2005. That's also the deadline for
    finishing the Doha Round of negotiations under the
    World Trade Organization, and Doha isn't shaping up as
    a slam dunk either. Sharp splits among rich and poor
    countries, and those in between, will be exposed next
    month at a key meeting of WTO ministers in Cancun,
    Mexico.... Social activists have worked hard the
    past few years to challenge the notion that globally
    integrated markets will necessarily bring prosperity to
    the poor. Maybe they should relax. No one is
    working harder to discredit globalization than the
    representatives of rich countries at the WTO. When you
    cut through the verbiage, the message from the First
    World is this: globalization when it works for us; self-
    interest when it doesn't."

    AFRICA
    ¶3.   "The result in Rwanda"
    The leading Globe and Mail opined (8/28): "...Mr.
    Kagame now begins a new seven-year mandate. Helped by
    large amounts of Western aid, he has made the economy
    grow and promoted reconciliation at the community
    level. He has the chance to lead the survivors of
    appalling atrocities toward a genuinely democratic,
    prosperous and harmonious future.... For their part,
    Western governments must move beyond genocide-related
    guilt and begin to measure Mr. Kagame by the standards
    they apply to others. They and he need look no further
    than Zimbabwe, a few borderlines to the south, to see
    what happens when power goes to a strongman's head.
    History will judge Mr. Kagame by his ability to ensure
    that the poison of ethnic hatred is not supplanted
    by the vices of one-man rule."

    U.S. POLITICS
    ¶4.   "Howard Dean and the U.S. buzz"
    The leading Globe and Mail editorialized (8/28): "Is
    George W. Bush vulnerable in 2004? Until recently, the
    answer has been an unequivocal no.... But there are
    signs that may be changing.... Why the sudden buzz? For
    one thing, Dr. Dean is a ferocious and tireless
    campaigner. In the past five days he has made nine
    campaign stops in eight states. For another, his
    speeches pay scant attention to his Democratic rivals,
    focusing instead on attacking Mr. Bush and his
    policies.... Dr. Dean also appears to be tapping
    a growing vein of unease about the President's economic
    policies. He is a no-nonsense fiscal conservative,
    widely credited with balancing Vermont's
    books. He dismisses Mr. Bush's economic policies as
    'borrow and spend.'... Nor is Dr. Dean the only
    prospective Democratic candidate generating a buzz.
    General Wesley Clark, most recently CNN's top military
    analyst and formerly NATO's commanding general in
    Kosovo, has hinted that he may jump into the
    race. In addition to being a decorated Vietnam veteran,
    Gen. Clark is a Rhodes scholar and former lecturer in
    economics at West Point. Dr. Dean, no
    fool, has already named Gen. Clark as a potential
    running mate. Mr. Bush's second term is no longer a
    given."

    ¶3.   "If only money grew on bushes"
    Columnist Marcus Gee wrote in the leading Globe and
    Mail (8/28): "...If Mr. Bush and the Republican-
    controlled Congress make the tax cut permanent, as
    they have promised, it will cost Washington a total of
    $1.5-trillion over the course of a decade. As if that
    were not enough, the White House also wants to start
    providing old people with subsidized medicines. The
    cost over 10 years: $400-billion.... Of course, it
    would be hard for Mr. Bush to change course now. He
    sees himself as a man of his word. When he says he
    will do something, whether defanging Iraq or cutting
    taxes, he does it. But real leaders know that a change
    of circumstances sometimes requires a change of course,
    however embarrassing. Instead of stubbornly sticking to
    an outdated and irresponsible fiscal plan, he should
    cancel or delay at least some of his tax cut. Americans
    would surely understand. As they must know, the only
    thing worse for the United States than a tax-and-spend
    liberal is a spend-and-don't-tax conservative."

    CELLUCCI

`