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How to Aid Afghanistan
"The Right War": an oxymoron if ever there was one [July 28]. I was born when World War II was raging and served in the military during the Vietnam era. Fortunately, I wasn't called upon to kill or be killed, but tens of thousands of others were. There is no hope for peace on earth as long as war is considered the right thing to do. Each side in a war considers its cause to be right, including the Taliban and al-Qaeda, which call their wars "holy" — another oxymoron. When will people ever learn?
Carlos Carrier,
Long Beach, Calif., U.S.

Could we somehow get both John McCain and Barack Obama to read Rory Stewart's article on Afghanistan? Stewart is knowledgeable, comprehensive and realistic. We very badly need his ideas to be discussed and, more important, implemented, especially in the face of the tactics proposed by both presidential candidates.
Jane Carder,
Macon, Ga., U.S.

Terrorists are mobile and headed from all over to Iraq because the U.S. was there. Now Afghanistan is becoming the hotbed, and terrorists will flow there. The problem is that no foreign force, including the former Soviet Union, has ever been successful in Afghanistan. Could this be why the U.S. chose to fight terrorists in Iraq?
Charles Langhorn,
Auburn, Calif., U.S.

It's a sad fact that the Taliban feel they have right on their side in this war against Christian occupiers. Afghanistan's future needs to be secured not through extensive military action but though a change in thinking at the White House and the Pentagon. A scaling down of operations that alienate civilians, like the bombings that blow up wedding parties, would be welcome, as would better intelligence. Also, the narcotics trade that props up the corruption endemic in the country's ruling bureaucracy, law enforcement agencies and judiciary must be targeted. Effective governance and education will beat the Taliban better than any American-inspired surge.
Fazal Karim,
Rawalpindi, Pakistan

McCain's Bush Problem
Though James Carney adequately highlights the personal rivalry between President George W. Bush and McCain, his reference to McCain's divergence from Bush on policy issues is dramatically overstated [July 28]. While McCain's previous vocal opposition to Bush's agenda has secured him the "maverick" label, his Senate record has followed the party line on almost every major issue except tax cuts (a position he has since reversed) and torture.
Katie Mercuro,
Ashburn, Va., U.S.

National Terror
Cricket is an 800-pound gorilla that has smothered all other sports in India ("Subcontinental Shift," June 30 – July 7). It hogs the media, sponges all the sponsorship, and makes idols of mediocre, inconsistent and narcissistic athletes. Even the sport's bandwagon followers manage to spend hours discussing endless inanities about the turn of a ball or the long hair of a wicketkeeper. If India produces any world-class contenders in, say, chess or shooting or racing, it is a tribute to their doggedness and talent that they flourish despite the specter of cricket looming above them like some toxic cloud. We would do ourselves a huge favor by declaring a moratorium on cricket for maybe 10 years, diverting our attention and money to all the other hopelessly funded sports in India, and watching the cricketers earn a living like us lesser mortals.
U.K. Sadhoo,
New Delhi