From WNYC in New York, this is On the Media.

I'm Brooke Gladstone.

And I'm Bob Garfield.

For divining the state of world opinion on the war in Afghanistan,

presumably there is no better tool than a survey of the world press.

Editorials and news columns should be fairly good barometers of how the war is playing country

by country.

The problem is that lately the barometers have been jumping wildly up and down, one day

suggesting placidity, the next day a gathering storm.

Joining us once again is Martin Walker, Chief International correspondent for

United Press International. Martin, this week Jack Straw, the newly appointed British Foreign

Secretary, criticized the press for a case of the Kosovo Woblies that having earlier supported

military action, the press now seemed to be getting nervous.

Have you seen evidence of the wobblies in the British press and elsewhere in Europe?

Oh, absolutely. Over the weekend, it wasn't so much people getting wobbly. They were getting

positively shaky. The independent in London, for example, called for a pause in the bombing.

On the Monday, we have the front page of Britain's Daily Mirror saying this war is a fraud,

and the Guardian publishing a poll saying 54% of the people in Britain wanted a pause in the bombing

to let some food supplies go in.

In Switzerland, Geneva's Luton said it had been the worst week of the war.

Over a period of a few days, the Americans were guilty of badly targeted bombings and massacquering civilians without, however, managing to enable their local allies on the ground to make any significant advance.

In France, Liberation of Paris was saying, these counterproductive bombardments threaten to smash to pieces, the fragile anti-terrorist coalition.

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