International press review
In the spotlight: the death in Afghanistan of the leader of al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri
Audio 05:31
Screen capture from an Al-Qaeda video showing Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's successor, in 2012. © AFP
By: Anne Corpet Follow
5 mins
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President Joe Biden announced Monday evening August 1 live on television that an American drone strike had killed the leader of al-Qaeda.
The operation took place in the capital of Afghanistan and arouses comments in all the press.
“
Zawahiri turned a motley network into an instrument of mass murder
”
Under the title "
a life of secrets and violence
", the
New York Times
publishes a long portrait of the leader of al-Qaeda.
We learn that from the age of fifteen, al-Zawahiri contributed to the formation of an underground group of militants whose goal was to replace Egyptian secular power with an Islamic government.
The daily notably publishes a photo of al-Zawahiri in 1974: then a young graduate of the University of Medicine in Cairo, he wears a suit, tie, short hair, mustache and glasses.
The
Washington Post
chose another striking snapshot of al-Zawahiri's life to illustrate his journey: the one where he appears behind bars in the trial room of the assassins of Egyptian President Anouar el-Sadat.
He is bearded this time and has abandoned the Western costume.
Al-Zawahiri will only be convicted of possession of weapons in this trial, but, reports the
New York Times
, "
for three years he was tortured and revealed the name and activities of one of the conspirators who was then arrested
.
According to one of his former lawyers quoted by the newspaper, it was guilt that led the Egyptian to leave his country after his release from prison.
His exile will lead him notably to Peshawar in Pakistan, where he will meet Osama bin Laden.
This meeting will seal the beginning of the bloody collaboration between the two men.
"
Al-Zawahiri will provide the framework and political leadership that will transform bin Laden's motley network and impulses into an instrument of mass murder
," writes The
New York Times
.
And the
Washington Post
completes: “
He didn't have the charisma of Bin Laden, but it was the intellectual force that stood behind the greatest ambitions of the leader of al-Qaeda.
»
A success for Joe Biden, a few months before elections promise to be difficult
The European press also comments on the death of Ayman al-Zawahiri.
"
A campaign gift for Joe Biden
", headlines
Die Welt
.
The German newspaper considers that “it
is a real success for the American president who is suffering from internal political difficulties.
With this successful murder, he can dispel the widespread impression among Republicans that he is weak in foreign policy
.
In reality, several
American newspapers
point to the fact that al-Zawahiri's presence in Kabul above all illustrates the failure of the American president's policy in Afghanistan.
El Pais
in Spain has a special correspondent in Kabul.
Luis de Vega went early Tuesday morning to the wealthy district of the Afghan capital where American drones raged.
"
Armed men in military uniform threaten journalists who hang around near the attacked house,
" he says.
The death of the terrorist is on everyone's lips, but hardly anyone dares to speak in front of the press.
Those who speak out assure that the house was empty.
The journalist also relays the reaction of the Taliban authorities: "
The bombardment is a flagrant violation of international principles and of the Doha agreement
", affirmed the government spokesman in Kabul, without making explicit mention of the victim of the American raid.
Nancy Pelosi in Taiwan: A high-risk trip
A drawing on the front page of the Chinese newspaper
The Global Times
sets the tone: we see Nancy Pelosi jumping in a parachute, her finger on the detonator of an explosive belt.
The parachute is in the colors of the American flag.
“
It's a very dangerous situation
,” commented the newspaper's editorialist, “
the Sino-American relationship is becoming unpredictable.
We are entering an era of disorder and instability
”.
And the
Global Times
contributor insists: “
Nancy Pelosi’s visit must not take place.
It will only serve to increase tensions, and increases the threat of armed conflict
”.
The newspaper
also details the strengthening of Beijing's military presence around Taiwan and warns: “
The People's Liberation Army is fully prepared for any crisis.
The
China Daily
, for its part, publishes on the front page photos of demonstrators in front of Nancy Pelosi's office in San Francisco.
They are not very numerous, and brandish signs on which one can read "
China is not our enemy
".
Chinese warships deployed near Taiwan
The Western press is not thrilled either by this high-risk trip by the leader of the Democratic majority to the House of Representatives.
Under the headline, "
Dear Nancy Pelosi, don't go to Taiwan
", the
New York Times
columnist speaks of a "
totally reckless, dangerous, irresponsible
" visit before asserting that "
nothing good will come of it, but that the worst may result
”.
More factually, the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
in Germany explains why this voyage is explosive and specifies that Chinese warships have been sighted in the Taiwan Strait.
Le Devoir
au Canada considers that the moment is badly chosen and that in the short term, “
it is almost certain that this visit will lead to reprisals and an increase in tensions
” between two nuclear powers.
And as an echo, in London,
The Guardian
recalls the dark remarks made on August 1 by the Secretary General of the UN: “
a simple misunderstanding separates the world from nuclear annihilation
”.
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Terrorism
United States
Afghanistan
Egypt
Taiwan
China
Newspaper
al-Qaeda