"Deutsche Welle" Sees Disaster in Iraq

Deutsche Welle is a government financed German Radio and TV channel aimed at an international audience outside of Germany. The articles and program excerpts on their web site appear unbiased, as long as you look at the English language section.

The German language section spills all the hate and disgust that has become the trademark of German reporting on the Iraq invasion. Introducing Peter Philipp's commentary:

No Success in Iraq

The commentary is in German, and was translated for this blog by Pinglun.

Excerpts:

One year after the „official“ victory over Iraq, the country is hardly in better shape than under Saddam Hussein. The US hasn't succeeded in establishing democratic order. ...

This is a typical report in the German media: nothing has changed compared to Saddam's regime - if
at all, things have gotten worse. Remember Germany in April 1946? "The US hasn't succeeded in establishing democratic order."

A war, like one had feared it: In the cities, against an invisible enemy, who hides among the civilian population and in mosques, and who gets new followers when civilians and mosques are hit. Washington doesn´t know how to oppose that with a successful concept. And others in different places don´t know about , for example, the Israelis in their conflict with the Palestinians.

It's the old "quagmire" prediction that the German media has hoped to materialize ever since the
start of the invasion. It's much too early to conclude that "Washington" doesn't have a concept against the
insurgents. And the reference to Israel serves only to remind readers of the latent anti-Israel, anti-Sharon
bias of the German media.

...one knows exactly, that military power cannot solve the problem.

The mantra of the German left: only peaceful transformation will succeed. Isn't it amazing that in a country that was freed by military power (no chance of convincing Mr. Hitler through peaceful means or expecting the German people to democratically vote him out of office) - the same military power has been demonized as a means of liberating people and countries?

It's of no use to quote Mr. Philipps any further. His commentary is just another biased, anti-American piece - full of criticism, pessimism, and completely lacking in any positive vision for the future of Iraq.

Next doomsday prediction, please...

(Thanks again for the English translation, Pinglun. And thanks to Robert for his assistance. His blog "Divided We Fall" is definitely worth a visit.)

Comments

[Gabi]

Ein vergleichbar dümmlicher Kommentar von Malte Lehming im Tagesspiegel:

13.04.2004 )
Das neue Vietnam?

AUFRUHR IM IRAK

Von Malte Lehming
Im Weißen Haus herrscht Kniegeschlotter. Ein Jubiläum naht. Am 1. Mai wird es ein Jahr her sein, dass George W. Bush spektakulär auf einem Flugzeugträger landete, vor einem Banner mit der Aufschrift „Mission erfüllt“ posierte und das Ende des Irakkriegs verkündete.
(Er hat nur die Hauptkriegshandlungen für beendet erklärt, aber dies ignorieren diese "kritischen" Journalisten stets. Oder sind sie tatsächlich so doof?)

Ihr Hochmut wird sich rächen.

Vor knapp einem Jahr triumphierte Bush in arroganter Pose. Ihm das in gleicher Überheblichkeitsmünze heimzahlen zu wollen, verbietet sich. Wer einen Ausweg aus der Sackgasse kennt, der trete vor – und schweige!

Lehming arbeitet in vielen Kommentaren mit der angeblichen Arroganz und dem Hochmut Bushs und der USA. Für mich zeigt er damit nur, welch kleiner Wurm er ist. Wer in der Supermacht USA nur Überheblichkeit erkennen kann, hat offensichtlich ein Problem mit der fehlenden Bedeutung und Wichtigkeit Deutschlands.

[Sauber]

Erstaunlich hingegen, was die Moscow Times dazu schreibt:

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2004/04/13/009.html

Da muss man jetzt schon auf russische Zeitungen zurückgreifen, um eine nicht anti-amerikanisch geprägte Berichterstattung geboten zu bekommen. :-)

[Col. Klink]

Remember Germany in April 1946? "The US hasn't succeeded in establishing democratic order."

The comparison lacks: US-troops and their Allies could travel without fear one year after German liberation and were not viewed openly hostile (in a lethal sense) by a minority of West-Germans.

[Sandy]

Ohhhh, the country's hardly in better shape, is it?

Really?

Pumping oil at pre-war 1990 levels and getting almost what, $38/b to boot?

Money's pouring into that country, people are busy, the Marsh Arabs are coming back, children immunized, schools opened, nope, nothing to see here, move along.

And June 30 is coming. It will be turned over to them.

Plus, the terrorists are showing themselves, Iran's upped the ante, and we're getting a good lay of the land, so to speak.

This is the hard way, folks, and it's going to be very, very bloody.

But it has to be done.

If some of you are interested, there's some links of sites for ex-muslims listed on a thread at Bjorn Staerk's blog - he's Norweigan. Under the post that Norway's pulling out of Iraq in a few months.

Start reading, very enlightening.

[kid charlemagne]

Gabi, I just happened upon Lehming's piece tonight and had a similar reaction. I get the feeling that, although Lehming lives in Washington, he gets much of his information via the German media. (It could be - I once knew a German journalist living in New York who had little contact with Americans and spent most of her time speaking long distance to Germany.)

I was struck by his statement that the U.S. soldiers were not welcomed in Iraq as "liberators". I seem to remember seeing a lot of celebrating after Saddam's regime fell, and every poll that's been taken since then shows the majority of Iraqis are glad the Americans are there. But cheap journalists like Lehming just pull a statement like that out of a hat and let it stand.

Too bad, because Tagesspiegel is one of Germany's more tolerable papers.

@Sandy:
And June 30 is coming. It will be turned over to them.

you don't believe this seriously, do you?

[Klink]

@Sandy
This is the hard way, folks, and it's going to be very, very bloody.

Who amongst the Bush-fans would have thought of such a sentence like your above in May 2003?

Uh, huh - Barbarians people, pay attention!

"...One complex ambush began when a small girl led a herd of cattle across the highway in front of a seven-vehicle convoy, said Lance Cpl. Ryan Christiansen, 25, from the Chicago suburb of Huntley.

As the convoy slowed, dozens of gunmen hiding in tall grass and buildings along both sides of the zigzagging highway let loose with machine guns and small arms fire.

“It was raining bullets sideways,” Christiansen said...."

SMALL GIRL -

Mow thru the cows and have the owner file a claim.

[Stone]

I thought wars were always bloody.

Did I miss something again in my study of history. You mean in WW2 it was only the British, Americans and Russians who died and spilled their blood.

Would someone please cite me a bloodless war?

NEWS FLASH........NEWS FLASH...........

EU-led forces 'could intervene' in Sudanese conflict
By Judy Dempsey in Brussels
Published: April 13 2004 5:00 | Last Updated: April 13 2004

A EU "battlegroup" of 1,500 highly trained soldiers.

This is probably going to be a bloodless war.

[Jan Wesselmann]

Nice Site... But I do you really believe what is written here? You call Germans "anti-american", but what are your Newspapers and TV-News? Before the war on iraqe started Bush claimed, that there are weapons of mass destruction in iraqe. That was the main reason for the war, not to free poor iraqi people. Do you remember? The US-administration knew it better - and today there wasn't found any weapon of mass destruction. It's a littlebit like afghanistan, remember? "We will free Afghanistan" "We will give democracy to Afghanistan". Today? Warlords are fighting against each other, Woman are supressed and so on. Nothing have changed. Oh, and do you now Osama bin Laden? The US-government want to fight against terrorism? Hey, who supported bin Laden when he needed money and military instructions? Right - The USA.

My oppinion to the war on iraqe is: The reason which was given by the US-government was wrong, if they had said they want to fight for human rights i thing it would be okay, but their reason... And i don't think the USA should take their troops back, they started a war and they have to end it.

PS: Sorry for my bad english, I just tried it :-)

[Mathesar]

...however it can be ended....

News Flash from england:

Allies divided
British officials in Iraq have all but ignored President George W Bush's plan to foster a new democracy in the country in favour of their own agenda, according to an American former official in Baghdad's interim government.

The interview with Michael Rubin, a former member of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), published in today's paper, points to fundamental disagreements over strategy and tactics.

Mmmmhh...seems the "allies" are not so shoulder to shoulder

[Joe]

I can assure you they are much closer than you will ever realize. And it should go without saying both are closer than they are with either Germany or France.

[Mathesar]

hmmm...maybe you are Mr. Bush in person??? that you know so much of the "high" politic.

I doubt about...

[Stone]

It is obvious that I know more than you do.......Mathesar.

[Stone]

Which of course it really not saying a lot...