Front Page
Politics
Economy
International
Sports
Society
Culture
Videos
Newspapers
Ahram Online
Al-Ahram Weekly
Albawaba
Almasry Alyoum
Amwal Al Ghad
Arab News Agency
Bikya Masr
Daily News Egypt
FilGoal
The Egyptian Gazette
Youm7
Subject
Author
Region
f
t
مصرس
BP signs agreement to drill five new gas wells in Mediterranean within its Egypt concessions
Turkish president holds sideline meetings with world leaders at Egypt summit
S&P Global Ratings upgrade signals renewed confidence in Egypt's economy: CBE Governor
Finance Ministry announces exceptional tourism investment opportunities in Assiut
Al-Sisi, Meloni discuss strengthening Egypt–Italy relations, supporting Gaza ceasefire efforts
Al-Sisi, Merz discuss Gaza ceasefire, ways to deepen Egypt–Germany relations
Gold prices in Egypt extend modest gains on Monday, 13 Oct, 2025
EGX closes in green area on Monday, 13 Oct, 2025
URGENT: Trump arrives in Egypt for Sharm El-Sheikh summit, escorted by Egyptian F-16s
L'Oréal Egypt's 10th summit draws over 800 experts, focuses on dermatology
Egypt's central bank issues EGP 5b FRN T-bonds
URGENT: Netanyahu skips Sharm El-Sheikh peace summit for holy reasons
URGENT: Egypt's Sisi to award Trump highest honour for Gaza peace efforts
Ministers of Egypt، Slovakia sign MoU on environmental protection، climate change
Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile actions, calls for global water cooperation
Egypt unearths one of largest New Kingdom Fortresses in North Sinai
Egypt's Health Minister showcases Women's Health Initiative at Berlin Innovation Forum
Egypt unearths New Kingdom military fortress on Horus's Way in Sinai
Egypt Writes Calm Anew: How Cairo Engineered the Ceasefire in Gaza
Egypt's acting environment minister heads to Abu Dhabi for IUCN Global Nature Summit
Egyptian Open Amateur Golf Championship 2025 to see record participation
Cairo's Al-Fustat Hills Park nears completion as Middle East's largest green hub – PM
Egypt's Cabinet approves decree featuring Queen Margaret, Edinburgh Napier campuses
El-Sisi boosts teachers' pay, pushes for AI, digital learning overhaul in Egypt's schools
Egypt's Sisi congratulates Khaled El-Enany on landslide UNESCO director-general election win
Syria releases preliminary results of first post-Assad parliament vote
Karnak's hidden origins: Study reveals Egypt's great temple rose from ancient Nile island
Egypt resolves dispute between top African sports bodies ahead of 2027 African Games
Egypt's Al-Sisi commemorates October War, discusses national security with top brass
Egypt reviews Nile water inflows as minister warns of impact of encroachments on Rosetta Branch
Egypt's ministry of housing hails Arab Contractors for 5 ENR global project awards
A Timeless Canvas: Forever Is Now Returns to the Pyramids of Giza
Egypt aims to reclaim global golf standing with new major tournaments: Omar Hisham
Egypt to host men's, juniors' and ladies' open golf championships in October
Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data
Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value
It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game
Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban
Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights
Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines
Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19
Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers
Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled
We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga
Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June
Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds
Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go
Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform
Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.
OK
'No Bush! No war!'
Anayat Durrani
Published in
Al-Ahram Weekly
on 28 - 02 - 2002
Protests appear to have forced George Bush to tone down his rhetoric during his whirlwind tour of Asia, reports Anayat Durrani
President George W Bush's six-day, three- nation Asia tour went off smoothly despite some concern that his tough rhetoric last month might adversely affect his visit. During his trip, Bush took a softer approach when meeting leaders of
Japan
,
South Korea
and
China
, tiptoeing around his now famous "axis of evil" remarks that linked
Iraq
,
Iran
, and
North Korea
as sponsors of terrorism. However, his efforts did little to quell the concerns of demonstrators who took to the streets to protest against his presence.
Bush's visit to
Tokyo
was met with a few protesters calling for the US to withdraw its nearly 50,000 troops from
Japan
. Others voiced opposition to Bush's "axis of evil" comments in his state of the union speech and demonstrated against the war in
Afghanistan
and US foreign policy. During his visit to
Japan
, Bush defended his widely criticised "axis of evil" remarks, saying, "History has given us a unique opportunity to defend freedom and we're going to seize the moment and do it." Though Bush has not backed down from his tough stance on the war on terrorism, his approach during his three-nation tour was much milder than expected. While in
Japan
, Bush warned that weapons of mass destruction posed a threat to the stability of Asia, a direct, but subtler reference to
North Korea
.
Japanese
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi commended Bush for his "calm and cautious" stance on
Iraq
,
Iran
and
North Korea
. He also praised his determination to use all options to combat terrorism, saying, "I believe this resolve was behind the phrase 'axis of evil'."
Bush's trip to
South Korea
drew the largest crowd of protesters of his entire tour. Thousands of people demonstrated against Bush's presence, incensed at his branding of
North Korea
as part of an "axis of evil." They said Bush's remarks had only served to undermine
South Korea
's "sunshine policy" of engaging the North.
South Korean
President Kim Dae Jung won a Nobel peace prize in 2000 for the sunshine policy, an effort to reach out to
North Korea
and unify the Korean peninsula.
Protests against the US president were held across
Seoul
and several other cities where demonstrators clashed with riot police. Protesters called Bush a "warmonger" and chanted "No Bush! No War!" Students took over the American Chamber of Commerce office in
Seoul
and ransacked the building. Media attacks on Bush by
North Korea
have also been unrelenting since his "axis of evil" comments. The official Korean Central News Agency called Bush's visit "a war junket to finally examine the preparations for a war on the spot." In a Foreign Ministry statement released by
North Korea
, Bush was referred to as a "politically backward child."
During his visit to
South Korea
, Bush sought to ease worries caused by his inclusion of
North Korea
as part of the "axis of evil" saying that the remark was not directed at the people, but at the leadership in
Pyongyang
. His State of the Union speech raised fears among
South Koreans
that the US would extend its war on terrorism campaign to
North Korea
. Bush also clarified that his administration had no plans to take military action against
North Korea
and offered to reopen talks with the communist government.
North Korea
's official news service responded by calling America an "empire of evil."
"We have no intention of invading
North Korea
. We would be happy to have a dialogue with the
North Koreans
," Bush said at a news conference in
Seoul
with
South Korean
President Kim Dae Jung. "I wonder out loud why the
North Korean
president won't accept the offer." The US has some 37,000 troops deployed in
South Korea
. The divided Korean peninsula is technically still at war since a peace treaty was never signed to end the 1950-53 war.
From
South Korea
, Bush stopped in
China
where he met Chinese President Jiang Zemin and other senior leaders. The visit came 30 years after former President Richard Nixon's historic visit to
China
. During Bush's visit, he had hoped to win
China
's agreement to end the sale of missile and nuclear technology to
Iran
,
North Korea
and
Pakistan
, but settled for additional pledges by
China
for cooperation in the American war on terrorism. Jiang also promised to assist the US in improving relations with
North Korea
. However,
China
's strong opposition to extending the campaign into the "axis of evil" countries of
Iraq
,
Iran
and
North Korea
remained unchanged. Preferring to avoid direct discussion of the issue at a press conference Jiang would only say that when dealing with
Iraq
, "peace is best."
The president embarked on his tour of East Asia at a time when his approval ratings were still soaring at home. Bush's trip to
Japan
,
South Korea
and
China
was originally scheduled for October but was postponed because of the events of 11 September. Though some critics say his trip amounted to no more than what appeared to be a vacation, White House officials have called the trip a success. During his visit Bush applauded the US-
Japan
alliance and discussed the economy; supported engaging
North Korea
in dialogue and a united Korean peninsula; and promised to be a "steady partner" with
China
.
Recommend this page
© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
Send a letter to the Editor
Clic
here
to read the story from its source.
Related stories
Not so fast
Where to start?
Disasters he created
History in action
Four more years
Report inappropriate advertisement