Newspapers Tolerate Stronger Antiwar Cartoons From Abroad

By: Dave Astor CartoonArts International (CAI) offers political cartoons from more than 75 countries -- most of which have governments and/or populations that oppose the Bush administration's foreign policy. So it's not surprising that many cartoonists from those nations have sharply criticized things like the U.S. presence in Iraq.

"Even now, American cartoons against the Iraq war are generally not as strong as foreign ones," said Jerry Robinson, president and editorial director of CAI (also known as the Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate).

How have CAI's 100-plus U.S. newspaper clients reacted to this stronger international commentary? Surprisingly, the syndicate reports no complaints or cancellations. "The editors who subscribe want to give readers a broader view of world opinion," said Robinson. "They're predisposed to run a wider range of opinion."

Subscribers include the Houston Chronicle, the Los Angeles Times, The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, The Salt Lake Tribune, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Jens Robinson, CAI's vice president and editor, added that clients appreciate the syndicate's mix of cartoons. While many CAI-distributed drawings oppose George W. Bush and the Iraq war, others are more neutral and some support Bush's actions. And newspapers can choose which cartoons to use or not use, meaning those troubled by very anti-Bush cartoons can keep them out of their pages.



Jerry Robinson said CAI itself will not distribute foreign cartoons that push the envelope too much -- including drawings that depict the bloodshed in Iraq in extremely graphic detail. But CAI sends along many other hard-hitting cartoons, including those arguing that oil was a big reason the Bush administration wanted to invade Iraq.



CAI -- which is marketed by the New York Times Syndicate (www.nytimages.com)-- has more than 100 political cartoonists who contribute regularly or fairly often. They hail from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, Egypt, England, France, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, the Philippines, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, Zimbabwe, and elsewhere.

Jerry Robinson recalled that cartoonists from many of these countries expressed strong sympathy for the U.S. immediately after 9/11. "They sent notes saying 'we're so sorry' and 'we're all Americans now,'" he said. But a lot of that sympathy dissipated because of the Iraq war, added the CAI president.




Jens Robinson did note that CAI's foreign cartoonists criticized aspects of U.S. policy before the Iraq war and before Bush took office -- including during the Clinton administration.

Whatever stance CAI contributors take, Jens Robinson thinks a global viewpoint is valuable. He said: "It's exciting to be distributing content from over 75 countries at a time when our country and the world as a whole are focusing on international affairs."