Letters: Mar. 7, 2005

The Merchant of Menace

THE PERILOUS SITUATION CREATED BY THE weapons peddling of nuclear expert A.Q. Khan cannot be ignored [Feb. 14]. Pakistan's nuclear technology appears to be the common factor in tracing the history of equipment found in Libya, Iran and North Korea. That is evidence of a clear breach of law and a real alliance of evil. In this age of nuclear weaponry, new lines must be drawn in the sand. If diplomacy and inspections fail, a multilateral military solution might be the only viable way to avert catastrophe.

NICK GATSOULIS - New York City

KHAN'S SALE OF NUCLEAR SECRETS AND A complicit Pakistani government have made the world a ticking time bomb. That smuggling operation took place under the nose of the CIA and other global-intelligence agencies. But what country did President Bush go after for hiding weapons of mass destruction? Iraq, a Middle Eastern country that didn't have the Bomb. Given that track record, there is no reason to feel confident that Khan is safely under house arrest in Islamabad.

LARRY DENNISON - Port Townsend, Wash.

KHAN'S ACTIONS HAVE RAISED MANY questions about Pakistan's involvement. The illicit dealing in nuclear-bomb materials would not have been possible without the complicity of Pakistan's political and military establishment. And it seems quite possible that some nuclear secrets may even have reached al-Qaeda.

SRINIVASAN BALAKRISHNAN - Jamshedpur, India

NO MATTER HOW THE WEST LABELS HIM, Khan is a hero to millions of Pakistanis and the Muslim customers of his nuclear bazaar. If he had decided in his heart that the glory of Islam lies in having Muslim nations become powerful nuclear states, then he undoubtedly would have gone the last possible mile in selling his wares.

IRUM SARFARAZ - Pleasanton, Calif.

TO LIMIT NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION, THE U.S. must pursue with equal diligence all nations, friend or foe, that are developing atomic weapons. Otherwise the message is that our friends can get away with anything. To this day, the U.S. has a hard time publicly discussing Israel's nuclear weapons, let alone trying to put a stop to them. It should not come as a shock that other nations in the Middle East are trying to build nuclear devices.

JEFF SIDDIQUI - Lynnwood, Wash.

Who Can Defuse the U.S.?

TIME REPORTED THAT AMERICA IS TRYING to persuade Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions in "Can the U.S. Defuse Iran?" [Feb. 14]. But the real question is not whether the U.S. can defuse Iran but whether the world can disarm the U.S., the world's No. 1 nuclear power.

JAMES BUTLER - Stuart, Fla.

The Loyal Opposition

COLUMNIST JOE KLEIN'S "THE INCREDIble Shrinking Democrats" [Feb. 14] was way off the mark. He criticized congressional Democrats for doing what they've been elected to do--act as an opposition party. The last thing they should do is shrink from the task. Our system of government absolutely requires that there be questioning. Bush does not have a mandate, and Democrats need to remind him of that every day. Klein accuses Democrats of wanting to preserve the past rather than discover the future. But when the future is envisioned by a President who bases his plans on unsubstantiated claims, fighting against his agenda might be a good thing.