Letters

Our reporting on the forgotten conflict in Congo left many readers wondering how the devastation escaped the world's attention for so long, while others called for action to prevent further suffering

Thank you for drawing attention to the war in the Democratic Republic of Congo, perhaps the world's most neglected humanitarian crisis [June 5]. Fewer than 2% of the deaths in the conflict are due to violent acts, while almost three-quarters are due to easily preventable infectious diseases and malnutrition. Our survey, which was mentioned in your story, found that when security is assured, death rates plummet. Halting the fighting would allow medical clinics to function, food production to recommence, markets to operate and people to return home from unsanitary refugee camps. Tens of thousands of lives could be saved every month. But as you rightly observe, the political will does not exist to increase the peacekeeping force to a level that would make that possible. It is a shame that the decision to allocate resources in a crisis is too often based on political considerations rather than humanitarian need.
Richard J. Brennan, M.D.
International Rescue Committee
New York City
Benjamin Coghlan, M.D.
Burnet Institute
Melbourne, Australia

My first trip to Congo was in August 1998, just days before the current war began, and I have seen the infrastructure and essential services decline ever since. How could we, the civilized world, allow this war to consume 3.9 million innocent lives? Why are so few people talking about it and even fewer doing something about it?
Woody M. Collins
Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.

I am worried about the impact of James Nachtwey's photos of grieving, anguished Congolese. There is a heroism about the images, but there is also a romantic artistry that blunts the pain, and they suggest too strongly the presence of attentive and receptive helpers. We Americans know far too little about Africa and pay too little attention. But would we turn so blind an eye to the death, in less than a decade, of 6% of our own population at the hands of warring parties? I hope not.
Doug Watson
Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.

TIME's story was a concise and accurate picture of the world's most lethal conflict since World War II. For more than a century, Congo has endured slavery, poverty and destruction. And the end is not in sight. Along with humanitarian aid, there must be diplomatic reconciliation between Congo's east and west, scholarships for young Congolese people to study in Europe and the U.S., and firm agreements among Congo's neighboring nations to keep their armies away. As we debate U.S. involvement in Sudan, perhaps we can spare a few minutes to consider the plight of those innocent souls pictured so well by TIME's reporting.
Richard B. Lawson
Mountlake Terrace, Washington, U.S.

Congo needs help, and the first step toward that is focusing media attention. The Congolese have suffered in silence and had their plight ignored for far too long. In fact, the nation seems to have a history of silence. Many people did not know about the atrocities committed during the rule of Belgium's King Leopold II, and many do not know what is going on today. Thank you for bringing attention to a place that dearly needs it. Your story was extremely moving, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it. I hope readers will be persuaded to take action and help restore dignity and peace to the brave Congolese people.
Amanda Doveatt
Naperville, Illinois, U.S.

It is wrenching to see the people of a vast and resourceful country suffer such malnutrition, disease and terror while the U.S. and the rest of the world blithely go their own way. You have opened our eyes; now we have to open our hearts.
Kurt Frey
Cheshire, Connecticut, U.S.

Those of us who live and work in Congo sometimes have difficulty understanding why so little attention is paid to one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. I must take issue, however, with the authors' contention that the country cannot save itself. It is true that Congo needs a great deal of international support to hold elections, develop infrastructure and put an end to the insecurity in the east. But real progress will occur only when all of Congo's leaders and citizens decide to make things better for themselves. If there is one lesson we can learn from Africa's history, it is that the best solutions to the continent's problems almost always come from within.
Laura Seay
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

Well, it's about time! I have been working in the humanitarian-aid field for several years, and every time I visit the U.S. (my country of origin), I cannot help wondering how many wars go unnoticed because they aren't mentioned on the evening news. Unfortunately, for the 3.9 million killed so far in Congo and the countless more who are dying as I write this, your story is too late.
Elizabeth M. Camp
London

Your selection of photographs from Congo is simply devastating. Why is the world so silent? The U.S. is spending billions of dollars fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but to what avail? If the Bush Administration really cares about establishing democracy around the world, it is concentrating on the wrong region.
Kris Sahay
Winnipeg, Canada

As a postgraduate student of international politics, I have been dismayed by the lack of interest in the human tragedy that has been occurring in Congo for so many years. The Rwandan genocide is etched in our memories, and Bosnia and Kosovo received much international attention, yet the most deadly of all recent conflicts seems to go largely unnoticed by both the left and the right. Thank you for awakening us.
Nicholas Kerton-Johnson
Bristol, England

Obama for President
Thank you, Joe Klein, for your column on Barack Obama as a possible presidential candidate [June 5]. In my opinion, Obama is not only the future of the Democratic Party but also the future of America. Although he has "zero military and national-security experience"—as was the case with the current President, George W. Bush—he understands the problems facing everyday Americans. It's refreshing to hear someone like Obama speak from the heart and actually mean what he says. Elect Barack Obama in 2008!
Ralph Reagan
West Cape May, New Jersey, U.S.

I agree with Klein 100%. I attended a small dinner with Obama two months ago and was left stunned by his possibilities. Yes, he's young. Yes, he's new. But he has what the U.S. needs right now.
Susan Burmeister-Brown
Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Enron Verdicts
I appreciated the viewpoint column on the Enron verdicts by the company's whistle-blower, Sherron Watkins [June 5]. I agree with her argument that humility is a basic ingredient of a spiritual life. No matter how often he invokes Scripture, Enron's founder, Ken Lay, will never learn that stealing is wrong until he finds some of that elusive characteristic. But there is hope: some people learn that valuable lesson in prison.
Gary Roe
Santa Cruz, California, U.S.

Watkins has captured the essence of leadership: humility and an ability to admit mistakes. If I hadn't known she was describing Lay's fatal flaws as the leader of Enron, I would have concluded she was describing Bush's fatal flaws as the leader of the U.S. We taxpayers are the stockholders and customers of our government, and we owe it to ourselves and our progeny to ask, the next time we go to the polls, whether we have learned from the failures of our leaders.
Mimi Barron
Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S.

Lessons of the Cold War
Peter Beinart's essay "Let Your Enemies Crumble" [June 5] correctly pointed out that containment policies against repressive regimes have been successful, most notably with the Soviet Union during the cold war. The Soviet leaders, however, were consistently capable of rational judgment, whereas Saddam Hussein was not entirely so. If Saddam were still in power, isn't it likely that he would have been able to reconstitute at least some of his WMD programs by now?
Channing Blickenstaff
West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.

Restraint in the face of a threat demonstrates moral courage and maturity, not weakness. The Western world professes to believe in democratic freedoms. People without democratic freedoms cherish the possibility of having them. Rather than letting our professed beliefs direct our actions, however, we are attempting to impose democratic freedoms on people who lack them. Is it any wonder that the Western world is loathed?
Ray Jones
Kamloops, Canada

Church vs. State
Re "Battle of the Bishops" [may 15], on China's unauthorized ordination of two Roman Catholic bishops: It is more than ironic that while China pretends to burnish its international prestige through improved diplomatic relations, it is prepared to flout ancient church law to assert its authority over all areas of life of its population. The decision by Beijing to appoint two bishops of its own appears to be a cynical attempt to increase the schism between the 4 million Chinese Catholics who worship through the state-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association and the 8 million Chinese Catholics loyal to the Vatican. That is the last thing the Catholic Church needs as it tries to build bridges and protect those who are dedicated to its teachings from Beijing's power brokering and politicking.
Mel Duignan
Dublin