www.oneworld.net Jim Lobe

WASHINGTON, Mar 9 (IPS) - Authors of a secret 1966 Pentagon study on the use of tactical nuclear weapons (TNWs) in Vietnam say their conclusions that TNWs could be ''catastrophic'' to U.S. global interests are at least as compelling today as they were almost 40 years ago.

The study by four top defence consultants within the so-called JASON group, obtained and released Sunday by the California-based Nautilus Institute, found that the ''political effects of U.S. first use of tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam would be uniformly bad and could be catastrophic'', given the concentration of U.S. forces in Vietnam at the time and the ease with which Vietnamese guerrillas could deliver nuclear weapons obtained from the Soviet Union or China.

''The use of TNW in Southeast Asia is likely to result in greatly increased long-term risk of nuclear operations in other parts of the world,'' the scientists argued, citing possible attacks on the Panama Canal, oil pipelines and storage facilities in Venezuela and even Israel's largest city, Tel Aviv.

''The main conclusion (of the report) is that the United States offers to any likely adversary much better targets for nuclear weapons than these adversaries offer to the United States,'' said Freeman Dyson, a Princeton University professor who was one of four authors of the 1966 report, 'Tactical Nuclear Weapons in Southeast Asia'.

''This is even more true in the fight against terrorism than it was in Vietnam,'' he added in an interview with Nautilus director, Peter Hayes.

The release of the report, for which Nautilus fought a 20-year battle with Freedom of Information Act (FoIA) officials at the Pentagon and the Energy Department, comes at a critical moment in U.S. nuclear-weapons policy and the twin crises in Iraq and North Korea.

Last week, 10 Democratic senators, led by Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, complained in a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush that recent changes in his administration's nuclear policy ''threatens the very foundation'' of international arms control.

''Recent public revelations ... suggest that your administration considers nuclear weapons as a mere extension of the continuum of conventional weapons open to the United States, and that your administration may use nuclear weapons in the looming military conflict against Iraq,'' the senators said, citing a news reports that Bush has signed a classified document permitting the use of nuclear weapons in response to biological and chemical attacks by Iraq.

In addition to that contingency, the Pentagon has also been considering the use of nuclear arms to destroy targets, such as enemy leaders or stocks of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that are buried deep underground - so-called ''bunker-busters''.

And, a classified Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) signed by Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld in December added officially non-nuclear states, including Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Libya, and Syria, to a list of nuclear-armed countries that could be targets for U.S. nuclear weapons, a major departure from past U.S. policy.

Last month, reports were leaked to the press that Rumsfeld has scheduled a secret meeting in August to discuss the construction of a new generation of nuclear weapons, including ''mini-nukes'', ''bunker-busters'' and neutron bombs, and to end a long-standing moratorium on the testing of nuclear weapons.

These reports have spurred rising concern in the arms-control community. ''It is impossible to overstate the challenge these plans pose to the comprehensive test ban moratorium, and U.S. compliance with ... the nuclear non-proliferation treaty,'' said Greg Mello, head of the Los Alamos Study Group, a nuclear watchdog group that obtained some of the latest documents, in a recent interview.

The discussion about breaching the firewall that has existed since 1945 between nuclear and conventional weapons has also contributed to alarm among the scientists who took part in the 1966 study on TNWs.

''Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki, there has grown up a taboo against the use of nuclear weapons for anything but deterrence,'' said Steven Weinberg of the University of Texas, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1979 and was one of the JASON authors.

''But there have been some signs recently of a weakening of this taboo in talk of the development of low-yield weapons for attacking underground facilities, and even in suggestions of a revival of interest in nuclear-armed, anti-missile interceptors. Let's hope that this will go no further than did the idea of using nuclear weapons in the war in Southeast Asia.''

The JASON group, founded in 1959, has included many of the nation's top scientists, who serve on a rotating base. It carries out 20 to 30 annual studies, most of which are classified. Last year, Rumsfeld's Pentagon tried to end the JASON contract, which fuelled concerns about the politicisation by the Bush administration of scientific advisory panels throughout the government.

The 1966 study, when the Vietnam War was close to its height, resulted from rumours that senior military officers, including some close to the White House, were considering the use of TNWs to interdict the ''Ho Chi Minh Trail'', the network of roads and paths that permitted North Vietnam to supply Viet Cong and its own forces in South Vietnam.

Distribution of the highly classified report apparently quashed all talk about using TNW in the Indochina War. From the perspective of the U.S. military, the most chilling sections of the report laid out the vulnerability of U.S. forces to nuclear attack with portable weapons that could be carried in small boats or trucks and could even be deployed in a mortar or recoilless rifle.

The study concluded that maintaining the taboo against nuclear weapons was key in reducing the chances of their use. ''(T)he danger of nuclear guerrilla activity is likely to arise in some degree during the next 20 years,'' it warned. ''But the dangers will certainly become more acute if the U.S. leads the way by initiating tactical nuclear war in Southeast Asia.''

''It is a stark warning that using nuclear weapons against Iraq, North Korea or trans-national terrorists - or threatening to do so - makes more likely the use of the only weapons that can really threaten the United States on the battlefield with untold consequences for innocent civilians here and abroad,'' said Natuilus' Hayes. (END/2003)

www.phillyburbs.com By ANITA SNOW The Associated Press

Warming up to the Roman Catholic Church while maintaining a distance from local church officials, Fidel Castro exchanged medals with the worldwide leader of an order of nuns that opened a convent here.

During a Saturday night ceremony at the Palace of Revolution where he keeps his offices, Castro bestowed the medal of the Order of Felix Varela, First Grade, to Mother Telka Famiglietti, general abbess of the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St. Brigid. The order was founded by a Swedish mystic who died 700 years ago last year.

Dressed in her dark habit, the abbess then bestowed on Castro one of her religious order's honor, the Ecumenical Cross with the Star of the Commander of St. Brigid.

"This will be a historic day for us," said Castro, who wore a dark suit and tie for the occasion. "This will commit us to being better and to giving ourselves more to those we believe are doing good."

The exchange was unusual amid the chill between Cuba's church and the Communist state with the release of a pastoral letter less than two weeks ago urging the government to ease up on its harsh treatment of citizens.

"The hour has come to pass from being a legalistic state that demands sacrifices and settles accounts to a merciful state willing to offer a compassionate hand before imposing controls and punishing infractions," Cardinal Jaime Ortega - Cuba's top Roman Catholic clergyman - said in that letter.

Ortega and cardinals from the Vatican and Mexico officiated Saturday morning at the Mass to celebrate the newly renovated building that the government donated for the convent.

Ortega read a letter sent by Pope John Paul II to the island faithful, urging them to "keep sailing a steady course."

But he was noticeably absent in the afternoon when Castro made his unprecedented appearance at the two-story convent in Old Havana for the blessing of the building where eight nuns will live. An official reason for Ortega's absence was not given.

Castro's government also has been irritated by a reform effort known as the Varela Project, which is supported by many Catholic laymen on the island even though it is not officially backed by the local church.

Authorities here say they have shelved the request for a voters' initiative on several laws that would guarantee civil rights such as freedom of expression.

The top Varela Project organizer, Oswaldo Paya - an active Catholic who met briefly with Pope John Paul II during a recent trip to Europe to receive the European Union's top human rights prize - downplayed the significance of Saturday's exchange of medals.

"This isn't an opening, it's an event," Paya said.

Castro's government expelled hundreds of priests, mainly from Spain, and shut down more than 150 Catholic schools island wide in the years after his 1959 revolution.

Cuba's church-state relations have improved considerably in recent years. The government declared it was no longer officially atheist in the early 1990s and let religious believers join the Communist Party for the first time.

The highlight of the gradual warming was John Paul's January 1998 visit to the island, along with the declaration of Christmas as an official holiday.

But the church has made no real progress since in efforts to gain greater access to state-run media and to open Catholic schools.

March 9, 2003 1:16 PM

www.dailytrojan.com William Goodwin Kim Culotta | Daily Trojan

I find absolute rulers terrifying. Of late, one in particular has been weighing on my mind. At the helm of an oil-producing nation, he's guilty of numerous abuses of human rights and restricting freedom, accused of assassinating potential threats to his power, and is alleged to have ties to terrorists. He's a clear threat to regional stability and global security.

I don't have monsters under my bed. I have Hugo Chavez.

While that other deceptive and destabilizing dictator plagues more distant, though no less important regions, the Americas can be happy knowing they have their own autocratic ruler. President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, by imprisoning opposition leaders and, some say, orchestrating the assassinations of dissidents, has crossed the line from bully to tyrant.

In four years, Chavez has managed to undermine Venezuela's democracy, drive a growing economy into the dirt, foment unrest in an unstable region and, allegedly, support a number of terrorist groups.

Long held up as a paradigm of democracy for Latin and South America, major cracks began appearing in Venezuela's political structure at the end of the 1980s. Oil revenues had managed to prevent a fierce class dichotomy for more than 30 years; however, the last decade saw the birth of a populist movement.

Accusations of political corruption and squandered oil profits set poor against rich. Chavez was on the vanguard of this movement. In 1992, Colonel Chavez led an attempted coup with other military leaders. His subsequent imprisonment spanned more than two years and another failed military coup.

Popular support garnered him a pardon before the end of his term and ultimately carried him to election as president, after he assumed the mantle of democracy. Considering his past, one might conclude that Chavez takes, shall we say, a more "forceful" approach to governing. Over the course of his time in office, the president-turned-dictator has been quite obliging and done absolutely nothing to dissuade anyone of that opinion.

The latest child in the lineage of democratic leaders-turned-tyrants (think Robert Mugabe or Alberto Fujimori), Chavez immediately altered the constitution to permit him a second term. Media criticism accelerated the restriction of free speech. An assembly of appointed stooges replaced the popularly elected congress. With increasing regularity, basic republican values were being trampled.

The rise of authoritarian rule coincided with a vicious decline in the economy. The Washington Post commented last year, "(Chavez's) senseless mix of populist and socialist decrees seriously damaged the economy and galvanized opposition from businesses, media and the middle class."

Chavez tried to deflect criticism of his feckless economic initiatives by heaping invective on the upper classes.

Oil officials were described as "living in luxury chalets where they have orgies, drinking whiskey." The hierarchy of the Catholic Church (Venezuela is 96 percent Roman Catholic) has also endured constant attacks, according to Chavez's BBC profile. His recurring theme on his weekly call-in television address and in his addresses to the national assembly is the rift between the haves and have-nots.

Increasing poverty and economic hardship, however, have disillusioned many of the poor, on whose shoulders Chavez rose to power. Things have reached a boiling point this year. Already, Chavez has narrowly avoided an attempted coup by the military (prompted by Chavez's orders to open fire on civilian protesters outside the presidential palace). Rallies that once were massive displays of support now ring with cries for new elections.

Most recently, worsening conditions prompted a general strike that crippled oil production. The bitter fight for new elections and/or Chavez's immediate ouster let petroleum exports fall to 250,000 barrels a day, down from 3,000,000. With Venezuela typically responsible for roughly 10 percent of the United State's imports, the near-anarchy has had an immediate negative impact on our economy, albeit mildly negative.

As if alienating his own people was not enough, Chavez decided to take it to the next level and try on the international community. Besides being a good personal friend of the bearded pajama revolutionary himself, in the summer of 2000, he wined and dined with everyone's three favorite regimes; Iran, Iraq and North Korea.

U.N. sanctions notwithstanding, the-man-who-would-be-Bolivar was enchanted by the desert nations, specifically Baghdad. "His courting of Fidel Castro, Colombia's Marxist guerrillas and Saddam Hussein made him a pariah both in Latin America and in Washington," the Post reported.

Even more troubling are allegations of support for international terrorist organizations. Several high-ranking military defectors, including the former head of the border service, claim Chavez has helped conceal the identities of terrorists, many Middle Eastern, passing through the country. More fantastically, and more likely fabricated, is the charge that he funneled money to al-Qaida in October 2001, in the guise of humanitarian aid.

The testimony of former higher-ups should be taken with more than a grain of salt; however, the claims are entirely possible. Chavez has done nothing to crack down on the drug smuggling taking place in the border regions that directly benefts Colombian rebels. And he has sent members of his fanatical civilian support groups, his Bolivarian Circles (often referred to as "Circles of Terror"), to Cuba for "unspecified training."

His contentious and troublesome history aside, Chavez deserves special attention now as he carries out his pledge to make those behind the recently defeated strike pay for challenging his authority. "Twelve-armed men kidnapped the four victims on Saturday night as they were leaving a protest. They were bound and gagged, and some were tortured before the gunmen executed them, the police said," the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The killings of the three dissident soldiers and an opposition organizer, while perhaps not directly authorized by Chavez, were undoubtedly politically motivated. The Bolivarian Circles have been known to physically threaten protesters with violence. To counter this, some protesters have formed their own armed bands, raising the terrible, if still distant, specter of all-out urban warfare between opposing camps.

Such an apocryphal warning may be necessary, however, as Venezuela continues to destabilize. Labor-government negotiations are on the cusp of dissolving, and the possibility has led many to take to the streets in protests dwarfing antiwar crowds in the United States.

The downward spiral of Venezuela, both country and leader, demands close observation from the United States. Without constant attention to the democratic devolution and the ascension of Chavez the dictator, the prospect of having to a face another Saddamite is not so easy to ignore. Only this time, it's in our backyard.

Editorial columnist William Goodwin is an undeclared freshman. To comment on this article, call (213) 740-5665 or e-mail dtrojan@usc.edu.

Copyright 2003 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved. This article was published in Vol. 148, No. 26 (Monday, February 24, 2003), beginning on page 4 and ending on page 6.

reuters.com Fri March 7, 2003 11:41 AM ET By Robin Emmott

PANAMA CITY (Reuters) - Vultures circle overhead at Panama City's putrid refuse mountain on the edge of town as droves of half-naked men, women and children roam the garbage dump looking for anything they can eat, drink, use or sell.

As Panama's economy suffers its worst downturn in more than a decade and with unemployment around 18 percent, more penniless people arrive every day to join the hundreds of scavengers who already live and work at the rubbish mountain.

"It's humiliating, but it's a way to survive," says one rubbish collector, who gave his name only as Euclides.

After 3-1/2 years in office, Panama's populist President Mireya Moscoso of the Arnulfista Party, who was voted in on a platform of poverty reduction, is seen as another Latin American leader who failed to live up to promises to help the destitute.

Many Panamanians are disillusioned with the inability of successive governments to reduce the nation's gulf between rich and poor, one of the most pronounced in Latin America.

With campaigning for the next president already under way a full 15 months before elections, Panama's voters are apparently moving to the left, inspired by the recent victory of Brazil's socialist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, newly elected Lucio Gutierrez of Ecuador and Chile's left-leaning Ricardo Lagos.

"People want change and so the election race has begun very early this time around. There is a real disenchantment with the parties that have run Panama for the past 50 years," said Raul Leis, analyst at political consultancy Ceaspa.

ENTERING THE FRAY

Enter Guillermo Endara of the Liberal Party, a lawyer and former president who is rapidly gaining support among Panama's blue-collar voters.

Coming to the fray as an alternative to the traditional Arnulfista and Partido Revolutionario Democratico (PRD) parties, Endara is promising a Lula-style mix of socialism and wealth redistribution, while still keeping international financial markets happy.

"I've got nothing against prudent fiscal management of the economy. But it is also time we did something for Panama's poor," Endara said at his sea-front apartment in Panama City.

Many voters say the free-market PRD policies of privatizing state-owned companies in the 1990s, when the party was last in power, pushed up the cost of living in Panama and failed to improve the lot of the poor.

The populist Arnulfista Party, formed in the 1940s by former president Arnulfo Arias, is seen as lacking any clear ideology, and is perennially criticized for tailoring its policies for the benefit of Panama's oligarchy.

That point is not lost on Endara.

"The role of the state is to protect the weak. Why in Panama are we always protecting those who are already so strong?," the 66-year-old candidate told Reuters.

WEALTH GAP

More than 1 million Panamanians or 40 percent of the population live in poverty with 25 percent living in extreme poverty and surviving on around $50 a month.

The proportion has barely changed since 1970 despite successful endeavors to make Panama an international transport and financial hub with economic growth as high as 9 percent a year during the 1990s.

Although Panama is classed as a middle-income country, the richest 20 percent of the population earn 60 percent of the country's annual income while the poorest fifth earn just 2 percent, according to United Nations and World Bank studies.

University of Panama professors Ivan Quintero and William Hughes calculate a group of about 80 people, many linked by business and family ties, control around half of the country's annual gross domestic product, some $5.5 billion.

"This means the economically powerful will always be in power no matter who is in government," Quintero and Hughes wrote in their recent study "Who owns Panama?"

Endara, whose support in opinion polls has risen to about 30 percent since announcing his candidacy in January, says he wants to try to break down Panama's oligarchy.

He aims to channel government revenues into education, housing for the poor and support for the agricultural sector, which employs a quarter of Panama's working population.

In line with Lula of Brazil, he is also skeptical about the benefits of an Americas-wide free trade area slated for 2005.

"We've got to protect our industries and the people who work in them,," Endara said

"PANAMA NEEDS A REVOLUTION"

Endara's closest challenger is likely to be Martin Torrijos of the PRD who trails him slightly in opinion polls. Torrijos is son of Omar Torrijos who ruled Panama from 1968 to 1981.

Three Arnulfista contenders including former Foreign Minister Jose Miguel Aleman are expected to compete in a primary to select the party's candidate, and minor parties are also likely to field candidates.

Endara is seen as a credible figure because as president in 1989 to 1994 he rebuilt Panama's trampled economy after the dictatorship of Gen. Manuel Noriega in the 1980s.

Endara won the May 1989 election but was kept from the presidency as the results were annulled by Noriega. Endara was installed as president by the United States in December 1989 after the U.S military invasion to oust Noriega.

Endara aims to revitalize the economy once again if elected. The economy under Moscoso's Arnulfista Party averaged just 1.6 percent growth a year since 1999, compared with 5 percent during the 1990s, according to Finance Ministry data.

But his critics say he will struggle to bring about real change in Panama, where the sight of new sports cars flashing past one-legged beggars is all too familiar.

"Panama needs a revolution to bring change. But the poor are ultimately too disorganized to challenge the oligarchy," says sociologist and political analyst Danilo Toro at the University of Panama.

"I wouldn't vote for any president. They are all crooks that do nothing for the people," says 33-year-old Gabriel as he fills up bags of discarded laundry detergent on Panama City's garbage mountain, which he later hopes to sell.

www.news14charlotte.com 3/9/03 4:50 PM By: News 14 Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Sunday's Marshall park protest in Charlotte is just one of the many going on around the world on Sunday, but this one is different.

These demonstrators are protesting Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and his dictator style goverment. Demonstrations like these are taking place in 37 international cities.

They hope the protests will bring attention to the issue that has crippled the economy and fast becoming a global problem.

Protestors were passionate in their protest Sunday. "The economy is in total shambles it can not progress everyday its going backwards and Venezuela is a country that's very important to the world."

But the demonstration is not just focused on Chavez. Protestors said its also to show opposition against all oppressive forms of government.

"All of those regimes that are oppressing, and that are not for democracy, but for taking advantage of people and abusing people's rights and unfortunately that's what we have in Venezuela now."

Now another rally will take place April 19 at the International House from 11 a.m. to four p.m.