The defiant refusal to capitulate to terrorist demands on the part of Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi is relevant to the discussion below with Ilana Mercer on the proper response to such extortion. Ilana has informed me that she may write another column on the issue soon.
Having just read the news on the Bin-Laden tape, CNN stated:
“The U.S. ambassador to Qatar asked the Qatari government to use its influence with the management of Al-Jazeera to convince the network not to air the tape. “We are disappointed that the tape was aired,” said this official. It was unclear whether the Qatari government urged Al-Jazeera to refrain from airing the tape. However, the network did not air the tape in its entirety. The United States regularly complains to the Qatari government about Al-Jazeera’s coverage and has often asked the government to use its influence to rein in the network.”
This would appear to be yet another example of the USA government trying to infringe abroad what would be constitutional rights at home.