The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : U.S. folly

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 01, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

U.S. folly

The article “Look back in anger: the five-year folly in Iraq” (March 29) rightly draws attention to the catastrophic consequences of the U.S.-led war in Iraq for not only West Asia but also the whole world. The way the U.S. has exploited the post-9/11 developments to assert its hegemony and terrorise the rest of the nations, especially the weaker ones, has indeed torn asunder the international relations regime that was taking shape in the post-World War world.

The emerging tendencies such as legitimising war as an instrument of state policy; subordination and sidelining of the U.N.; contempt for human dignity and rights; regime change by force; and efforts at redrawing political geography are some of the threatening consequences of the U.S.’ muscle-flexing.

Jai Prakash Sharma,
Jaipur

What has America achieved in Iraq, except replacing one form of tyranny with another in the form of untold misery to the Iraqis? America, according to Joseph Stiglitz, is spending $50 billion every three months on its war in Iraq. Neither the American military establishment nor the academic community is happy. The media have lost their credibility and there is widespread resentment among ordinary Americans. It will be no surprise if, as happened in Vietnam, America exits from Iraq too with a total loss of face.

Prasad Malladi,
Nidadavole

In Iraq, state terrorism has been replaced by sectarian violence. This has led to the loss of a million Iraqi lives and the collapse of the country’s economy. The U.S. has not gained either as its economic woes can substantially be attributed to its Iraq policy. The U.N. has lost its credibility as a neutral organisation. The world is facing the heat as the effects of the economic problems in the U.S. such as recession, currency instability, current account deficits and credit defaults have been exported to other countries. Most important, the Iraq war has led to human rights violations by both the conflicting parties. In short, everybody has lost and nobody has gained.

P.E. Muthu,
Mumbai

The U.S.’ mission of crushing terrorism is not confined to the capture of Osama bin Laden and his accomplices. It is a broad-based objective, the achievement of which will take years of efforts and money. The Iraq war has curtailed civil liberties, but it is temporary. Though unfortunate, this is inevitable. The claims of the al Qaeda gaining an upper hand in Islamic nations are utopian.

It is premature to judge the U.S. war on Iraq, for what we see today is not the intended result of the war. Whether the world is safer or not can be decided only after the wars on Iraq and terror end.

Raghu Seshadri,
Chennai

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

News Update

Stories in this Section

Challenging SIMI’s hate politics

Sounding the alarm bells

V.S. Naipaul: still tilting at the world

Corrections and clarifications

Lauding Martin Luther King, but undermining his legacy

New challenge for employers on harassment