New Afghan President Karzai has ignored US and European pressure to provide Afghanistan with a free press, preferring instead to keep it under central government control. Regional warlords are arguing for control over the local press in their areas. Some of the reasons for this are not good, in that Karzai and the warlords he has dealt with have little intention of ever losing power. Some of the reasons are good ones; given access to a free press, the Moslem fundamentalists could stir up the masses.--Stephen V Cole