MEDIA REACTION - TERRORISM

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001631 SIPDIS STATE FOR R/MR, I/PP, WHA/BSC, WHA/PDA, INR/IAA, PM, INL STATE FOR INR/R/MR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR KPAO OPRC PTER CI TERRORISM SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION - TERRORISM On July 31, government-owned, editorially independent "La Nacion" (circ. 3,800) carried an article by defense journalist Raul Sohr entitled, "The Puzzle of Terrorism." Quote: "After the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks, President George Bush announced he was waging the `first war of the 21st century.' Since then, Washington and many of its allies use the phrase `war on terrorism.' ... But, what is a terrorist? ...Many cynics say it's someone who has a bomb, but not an air force...and members of the armed forces will say that, unlike terrorists, they never deliberately hurt civilians. But it is evident that air raids threaten the lives of civilians and that they are conducted despite the conventions that prohibit them.... Bush and the Pentagon have taken an important turn in their fight against terrorism. The change is evident in the new language, which now calls for `a global fight against the enemies of freedom.' General Richard Myers...has also put the problem in a new perspective by stating it has `more of a diplomatic and economic aspect than a military one.'" KELLY