Erstellt am: 17. 9. 2012 - 15:19 Uhr

Spreading protests pose threat to Obama

Reality Check: escalating anti-US protests, 1 year Occupy Wall Street, China-Japan, prohibition in Czech Republic, William H. Gass

The Pope called for peace in the Middle East during his visit to Lebanon, but no sooner was he out of the country than the head of Hezbollah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, was calling for a week of protests against the notorious "Mohammed video".

Nasrallah said he had waited for the Pope to leave before making his call - which adds a curious twist to the whole escalating mess. The anger is rapidly spreading around the world, with new attacks against US assets and violent protests being reported almost by the hour.

The increasing tide of protests puts the Obama administration in a tight corner. In the US, the maker of the offending film, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, is protected by the country's freedom of speech laws, and that is making some Muslims turn their anger at the US in general. However, there is little the US can do to defuse the situation. Nakoula is currently on probation after being convicted of bank fraud in 2010, and is banned from using computers and the Internet. He has been questioned over whether he has breached this condition, but has not been arrested or detained. In the US, the film might offend and be in poor taste, but it is not in any way illegal.

Security analyst, Paul Rogers, says that while the main storm of protest is likely to blow over relatively soon, the damage that the incident could do to the Obama campaign might be considerable.

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Protests in China against Japanese companies

The dispute between China and Japan over a chain of islands in the East China Sea is spreading to the economy, as Japanese companies in China suspend operations in the face of protests. Our Beijing correspondent, Jörg Winter, explains why this political dispute is becoming so wide reaching.

Prohibition in the Czech Republic

Following the contamination of vodka and other spirits with methanol which led to several deaths last week, the Czech government has announced a ban on all drinks with over 20% alcohol. Rob Cameron reports on this drastic move and the impact it is having in a country with one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in the world.

William H. Gass

Controversial, award winning American author, William H. Gass, talks Tea Party, populism and European politics.

Read more here.

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