Democracy Now! January 27, 2003

9:00-9:01 Billboard 9:01-9:08 Headlines Israel is considering fully reoccupying the Gaza Strip. This comes after a massive Sunday invasion of Gaza City that left 14 dead and over 50 injured. In addition Israel locked down the West Bank and Gaza Strip last night and closed all border crossings. The moves came just days before Israel s general election on Tuesday. Prime Minister Gen. Ariel Sharon is predicted to defeat the new leader of the Labour Party, Amram Mitzna, who has pledged to withdraw from the Gaza Strip within a year. Sunday s invasion of Gaza City marked the deepest raid into Gaza City in the two years of the second intifada. We go Gaza City for a report. Guest: Kristen Schurr, journalist living in Gaza. She is currently in Gaza City. Lower Third: Reporting from Gaza City Phone: 011-972-673-41268; 011-972-593-57526 Video: Pull from DN archives 9:06-9:07 One Minute Music Break 9:07-9:50: At the United Nations today, chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix is expected to say their work is just getting started and that more time is needed. Meanwhile Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell indicated yesterday that it would be useless to give the inspectors more time. Powell made these comments at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Powell went on to say the U.S. would be willing to wage war against Iraq alone if European nations would not fight. Powell said Washington had a "sovereign right to take military action on Iraq alone or in a coalition of the willing. He also claimed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had ties to Al Qaeda but offered no evidence. Both the United States and key ally Britain could use Monday's report to press for military action against Iraq on the grounds of Baghdad failing to cooperate with the inspectors in line with UN disarmament Resolution 1441. In other Iraq news, CBS News is reporting that the U.S. is considering to wage an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iraq in the opening days of war if the Bush Administration chooses military action against Iraq. The military plans to drop between 300 and 400 cruises missiles in the first 24 hours of attack, easily exceeding the total fired over six weeks in the 1991 Gulf war. The aim is to cause such "shock and awe" that Iraqi troops will lose their will to fight at the outset. Just in case they do not get the message immediately, the US plans do the same again on day two. And the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Pentagon is quietly preparing for the possible use of nuclear weapons in a war against Iraq. The military planners have been studying lists of potential targets and considering options, including the possible use of so-called bunker-buster nuclear weapons against deeply buried military targets. Guest: Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC, specializing in Middle East and United Nations issues She is the author of the book Before and After: U.S. Foreign Policy and the September 11th Crisis, Guest: Andreas Zumach, Geneva-based UN correspondent with the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung. Last month Zumach obtained an unedited copy of Iraq's 12,000-page report to the United Nations, including portions on how Iraq acquired its weapon capability from Germany, the U.S. and others. Links: Institute for Policy Studies: http://www.ips-dc.org/9:20-9:21 One Minute Music Break 9:50-9:58 Yesterday Brazil Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez lashed out at Venezuelan opposition leaders, predicting they would fail in their bid to oust him from power. Chavez said, "Our struggle against the terrorists and fascists has further strengthened the will of the Venezuelan people. It is one thing to try to get rid of me, and another thing to succeed. I have the popularity to remain in power." Chavez s comments came at the third annual World Social Forum in Porto Allegre, Brazil where up to 100,000 activists and academics from around the world are meeting in Brazil this week. During Thursday's opening march for the forum, an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people demonstrated in Porto Alegre. The World Social Forum is being held as a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum the annual gathering of the world's biggest capitalists and heads of state, taking place simultaneously at the luxury Swiss ski resort of Davos. One of the few individuals who attended both forums was Brazilian s new president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He addressed the World social forum last Friday among criticisms that his attendance at the World Economic Forum this week would be like as one said going to a banquet with people responsible for the misery in the world Three years ago, Lula had called the WEF the grand strategic event for neoliberalism . Over the weekend in Davos he called for rich countries to join his fight to eliminate hunger affecting up to 44 million of Brazil's 175 million citizens. Meanwhile in New York, hundreds of anti-war protests gathered outside the United Nations to protest war. Guest: America Bera-Savala, organizer with ATTAC in Sweden. She is in Brazil at the World Social Forum Guest: Serena Tinari Phone: 011-4178-890-5229; 2: 011-4179-381-8431 Guest: Miles Solay, organizer with Not in Our Name Phone: 917 568 6809 Link: www.notinourname.net 9:58-9:59 Outro and Credits Democracy Now! is produced by Kris Abrams, Mike Burke, Angie Karran, Ana Nogiera and Alex Wolfe. 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