The Hindu : Aggressive stance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 21, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Aggressive stance

Sir, — The American arrogance, as expressed by George Bush and Donald Rumsfeld, has reached enormous proportions. They have gone to the extent of saying that a non-conventional war with Iraq cannot be ruled out. This will definitely alienate its traditional allies.

The American dream is very clear. Once a comfortable base is established in West Asia, dealing with Iran, which is one of the countries of the axis of evil according to the U.S., would become easy. North Korea could be tamed with the acquired oil weapon and other economic sanctions, as the U.S. is not bold enough to deal with it militarily. Once these two are dealt with, it could admit more nations into the axis of evil. From what has been said by the U.S. and U.K. in interviews telecast by BBC and CNN, all states having weapons of mass destruction will be dealt with by appropriate means. Even though Pakistan and India have not been mentioned so far, there have been implicit references in the interviews.

R.Venkita Giri,

Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

* * *

Sir, — What do Brutus, Bush and Blair have in common? The paranoic notion that the serpent's egg should be smashed before it is hatched. Resort to pre-emptive strike before Julius Caesar or his modern incarnation Saddam Hussein strikes. In what turned out to be prophetic, one of the conspirators, Cassius reflects on the possibility of the scene of assassination being acted over and over again "in states unborn and accents yet known." The conspiratorial, violent attempt at altering the established order in Shakespeare's play draws everyone, the conspirators included, into a tragedy that engulfs the whole Roman world. There is an element of prophecy in literature, and if the past speaks to us (as it should) the Bush-Blair combine should desist from going to war with Iraq, from being sucked into a tragedy that will have its repercussions across the globe. That could mark the end of the rule of law, and a retreat into the darkness of an era in which might was always right.

Jacob George,

Changanacherry, Kerala

* * *

Sir, — I am bewildered by the way George Bush is dealing with terrorism. The fact that he is showing no interest in dealing with terrorism in Pakistan sows the seeds of misgivings about his intentions. If his interest is to eradicate terrorism, he should start the good work from Pakistan and not selfishly bomb Iraq for its oil. India has to patiently wait for another attack from Pakistan, which will generate news in the media and die away. When can we expect concrete action from the "so-called'' United Nations?

B. Raghavendar,

Wales, U.K.

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