Letters

A Chance for Peace?
Whatever view one takes of the long struggle between Palestinians and Israelis, a kernel of truth concerning that conflict can be glimpsed from two details of Yasser Arafat's illness and death [Nov. 22]. His people had to take him to another country for decent medical care, and they had to ask Israel, his lifelong enemy, for permission to return his body for burial in Ramallah in the West Bank. Can you imagine an Israeli Prime Minister being put in the same position? Until the fundamental economic and political inequalities that lie behind such contrasts are corrected, there is little hope for peace in that blood-smeared region.
William P. Reich
Evanston, Illinois, U.S.

If there had been no Arafat, we would not have suicide bombers or the suspicion of terrorism in every public place in the world. Would Osama bin Laden have masterminded the 9/11 attacks without Arafat's having led the way? Doubtful. All citizens of the Western world (not just Israelis) should remember Arafat and the terrorist acts he inspired every time they have to go through a metal detector or take their shoes off to get on an airplane.
Mark Feld
New York City

I was unhappy about the way the U.S. dealt with the death of Arafat. There should have been more respect and sympathy shown for the passing of the Palestinians' leader. The world community must recognize the good this man has done.
David Murray
Durban, South Africa

At no time did Arafat prepare the Palestinians for peace. He funded violent groups throughout the territories. Even in the optimistic early days after the signing of the Oslo accords, Arafat turned a blind eye when Palestinian terrorists bombed defenseless Israeli civilians. Apparently he believed that such terrorist acts would force more concessions from Israel. What Palestinians needed in Arafat was a leader like Nelson Mandela. What they got was a Robert Mugabe. Good riddance, and please, no more crocodile tears.
George Reiss
Paradise Valley, Arizona, U.S.

There is nothing wrong with seeking justice or independence for your people, but at what price to your people's culture and humanity? To state that Arafat won legitimacy for the Palestinian cause "despite sometimes [using] deplorable means" was cruel and idiotic. The next time you are worried that a terrorist will kill your loved ones or are haunted by the image of the Twin Towers, thank the guy who invented it all: Arafat. His dedication to violence has spawned a generation of thugs who kill children and mothers in cold blood, then excuse their acts because of their cause.
Joshua Marcus
West Orange, New Jersey, U.S.

The longer a Middle East peace deal is delayed, the more the final agreement will be to the disadvantage of Palestinians. Israel doubled the number of settlements during the lengthy Oslo peace process. And soon after the collapse of Oslo, Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed they would not pursue a peace agreement until Arafat was out of power. Now, after his death, they have implied that any agreement must wait until the Palestinians establish a democracy. Those delaying tactics do not serve the interests of Palestinians or Israelis who want an end to the cycle of violence and a fair two-state solution now.
Ramzi Shakra
Glendale, California, U.S.

Palestinians are the forgotten victims of human-rights violations. Arafat brought their plight to world consciousness. Their oppression by Israel is a grave matter that must be addressed if there is to be a chance for peace in the region.
Annette Thomas
Clarkston, Michigan, U.S.

Arafat imbued the Palestinian movement with self-deception. For years in Palestinian-controlled areas, he suppressed a free press, the element of society that might have furnished a self-correcting guidance to Palestinian policies. Arafat hurled Palestinian forces headlong into the brick wall of Israeli military strength. Yasser Arafat's legacy is a shattered economy, a bankrupt government and numerous militant organizations like Hamas.
Donald Mintz
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.

Hot Times in the Arctic
"Meltdown!" [Nov. 22], your article on the impact of global warming in the Arctic, was especially timely in the wake of the re-election of Bush, who so arrogantly dismissed the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. is a nation of selfish materialists who refuse to be good stewards of the earth, and we deserve every abuse Mother Nature heaps upon us. It's just too bad the rest of the world has to suffer with us.
Cheryl Clark
Calera, Oklahoma, U.S.

Ghostly Goings-on
Having resolved not to comment on Jennie Erdal's Ghosting I nevertheless wish to draw your attention to two aspects of your review [Nov. 29]. The overheated love letter to my wife, as quoted in the book and repeated in your review, is a total fabrication. I have no doubt that it adds to the entertainment value of the book, but to treat it as a fact is to present a mischievous fantasy as a reality. Also, the statement in your review that Mrs. Erdal has penned all 12 books that appear under my name goes far beyond even the many distortions that appear in Ghosting.
N.I. Attallah
London

Bombs Along the Border?
Your notebook item "Bordering on Nukes" [Nov. 22] reported on al-Qaeda's possible plans to smuggle nuclear material into the U.S. from Mexico. Not to worry. We'll take them out at the border with one of those billion-dollar antimissile defense rockets recently installed in Alaska. They can't seem to hit many test targets, but surely one rocket could hit a terrorist driving a pickup across the border. Couldn't it?
John Reid
Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Wouldn't the U.S. be a lot more secure if, instead of spending billions in Iraq, we used the money to secure our borders?
David Cohen
Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S.

Street Fight in Iraq
Your report on the full-scale assault to take back Fallujah from the insurgents [Nov. 22] reminds me of the Vietnam-era axiom: "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." Although reconstruction is supposed to begin as soon as we pacify the Fallujah cauldron, attempts at such rebuilding in the rest of Iraq have shown that it is impossible to begin the work and spend the budgeted money because of the lack of security for work crews. What contractor on earth would want to undertake such risks to work in Fallujah, the most dangerous place in Iraq ?
Dave Watters
Wyoming, Ohio, U.S.

The battle for Fallujah has reduced another city to rubble and increased the hatred of the U.S. among ordinary Iraqis. I see no way out of this mess, short of leaving the country to its own devices. Then, of course, another dictator will take over, or a civil war will begin. The U.S. has no legitimate role in the Middle East. If we need Iraq 's oil, we can bid for it on the world market. Our interference in the region has been counterproductive. There will be no scattering of rose petals for Americans, but there will be many more deaths of our troops and of Iraqis too. Show me the moral value in that.
Jean Waltrip
Rocky Mount, Virginia, U.S.

Although many in the media are gloating over what they consider to be the U.S. failure in Iraq, the game is not yet over. The Americans are approaching their objective: to change the basic parameters in the Middle East by introducing democracy. The millions of voters who turned out in Afghanistan are a prime example. Why not talk about the courage of the Iraqi Prime Minister and his team, who are constantly at risk? The strength of the Iraqi people, in spite of the suffering endured for so many months, illustrates their yearning for democracy and political maturity. Some say the U.S. adventure in Iraq has multiplied the number of fanatics. But Iraq has become the gathering point for pre-existing fanatics; their destruction in Iraq will be all the more resounding and mark the decline of their influence. French diplomacy has been heavily mistaken in opposing American policy. Let us hope that today France will pull itself together and actively join its natural allies, the U.S. and Britain, in the great battle for democracy being waged in Iraq.
Joseph Hazan
Paris

It is no wonder that Fallujah is a murderously dangerous city to fight in. Killing has become a day-to-day occurrence in Iraq. Saddam Hussein was a ruthless dictator, but at least he controlled the Iraqi people and the level of violence in the country. What is happening now is worse. The Iraqi people are being butchered and dominated by U.S. occupation forces.
Bibhabari Rath
Cuttack, India

Why didn't you devote more reporting to the terrible suffering of the city's residents, in particular women and children? Perhaps you are afraid people will criticize the brutality of the American troops.
Ann Salvadori
London

Innocent American lives should no longer be wasted in Iraq. The Iraqi police and defense forces should want peace and freedom in their country enough to fight for it. The U.S. should stop sacrificing its soldiers for a cause that Iraqis are not willing to fight for themselves. The U.S. cannot secure Fallujah against further attacks from insurgents if the Iraqi police don't stand up to their responsibilities and fight for their own freedom.
Tunde Ogunjana
Lagos

Time and time again I am amazed by the quality of reporting by Australian journalist Michael Ware, who has tirelessly covered the war on terrorism for TIME in very difficult, trying and dangerous circumstances. It is easy to take articles like his for granted, but we must pay tribute to remarkable people like Ware who continually provide us with gritty, quality journalism directly from the front lines. As an aspiring journalist, I wholeheartedly salute Michael Ware.
Nick Smart
Gold Coast, Australia

The Whole World Watched
I am not American, but I respect the choice of those who re-elected President Bush [Nov. 15]. I wish to remind them, however, that the decision they have made will also affect the citizens of the rest of the world who desperately hope to see a less violent world in the next four years.
Patama Udomprasert
Tokyo

To my utter dismay, bush is in for another term, confirming the opinion of those of us in the Third World that terrorism scares Americans so much that they have lost the ability to reason. One can only congratulate Bush and his campaign team for capitalizing on 9/11 to secure another rudderless foreign policy plan for four years. Perhaps Bush's action or inaction will help form a new world order. Should the power of the U.S. begin to wane, China will be waiting in the wings.
Afolabi Babatunde
Lagos

We are astonished, dear American friends, that you re-elected Bush. Such a leader wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell in most European countries. But the majority of Americans seem to trust a man who talks a lot about God, superficial moral values and protecting your beloved homeland. We hope that you will come to your senses during the next four years.
Tron Hummelvoll
Klofta, Norway

How is it that a country with a free press, which saw multitudes of ideas contested and volleyed back and forth during the presidential campaign, could not make 51% of its voters see the simple truth that the incumbent has not made their world safer and does not deserve a second term as their President? How can people in nations with repressive governments continue to argue that free media will disseminate the truth and ensure the well-being of citizens after what just happened in the U.S. ?
Chuah Siew Eng
Kuala Lumpur