Letters

Al-Qaeda: Alive and Ticking

"We will not make progress toward peace until we treat the causes of terrorism, not just the symptoms, as we are doing now."
RICK MAROLT
Madison, Wis.

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There should be no doubt that the various fundamentalist Muslim groups responsible for worldwide terrorist acts share the goal of removing Western influence from the Muslim Middle East and Asia [TERRORISM, Oct. 28]. They are a continuing threat to our ideals of democracy and tolerance. Until all these radical groups are eliminated, there will be constant global strife.
NELSON MARANS
Silver Spring, Md.

Of course al-Qaeda is still active and regaining strength. The U.S. cannot win a war against a globally distributed, impassioned enemy. Our government has committed us to a risky type of counterterrorism that could go on for decades. We will not make progress toward peace until we treat the causes of terrorism, not just the symptoms, as we are doing now. We are merely giving terrorists more reasons to attack us. Someday, if we are lucky, U.S. citizens will take steps to reject the government's shortsighted, arrogant approach and demand changes in our foreign policy.
RICK MAROLT
Madison, Wis.

When will Bush & co. understand the truth of the saying If you want peace, work for justice? The most dangerous people are those who are disenfranchised and have nothing to lose.
LARS PARDO
Seattle

We should not be surprised that the terrorists are regrouping. We must, without delay, launch long-term preventive actions while continuing to fight pockets of terrorism wherever they exist. Terrorism stems from ignorance, and the best way to eradicate it is through education and economic viability. We must help the people of the Third World stand on their own. Corrupt Third World rulers should be arrested and tried as international criminals. Let us give new meaning to the concept of pre-emptive strikes.
SIDDIQUE MALIK
Louisville, Ky.

If Osama bin Laden or his second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, were alive and in hiding, wouldn't they be making videotaped statements that refer to recent events for broadcast on the Arab TV station al-Jazeera? The audiotapes and obviously old videotapes that have been released are unimpressive.
PASQUALE J. PIACENTE
Newington, Conn.

Yes, we can ask ourselves if the Indonesian government has the nerve to crack down on Islamic militants, but I want to know if that government has the wisdom and patience to understand the conditions that motivate Indonesians to become terrorists. If the government clamps down on Islamic radicals but does nothing about those conditions, the militants won't go away. Insurgencies inspired by economic and political problems do not respond to military action or political repression. When will we learn?
GILBERT HEROD
Carmel, Ind.

North Korea Fesses Up

The revelation that North Korea is building nuclear weapons [WORLD, Oct. 28] demands a reappraisal of U.S. government priorities. Surely the economy comes first, then homeland security, nuclear arms in North Korea and bioweapons in Iraq. It is irrational to consider Iraq more dangerous than the rogue state of North Korea or urban terrorism. Let's get to work on matters that affect Americans. As for Iraq, we should treat it as we have been treating Saudi Arabia: buy its oil and protect it from aggression by competing nations.
JOHN O'MARA BOCKRIS
College Station, Texas

Even though North Korea has admitted it possesses nukes, the U.S. seems in no hurry to act against a charter member of President Bush's "axis of evil"--perhaps because any such action could seriously harm American interests in Asia. So why punish poor Iraq? And what is Bush going to do with Pakistan, if it is true that its experts helped North Korea build its nuclear weapons?
ASHOK PANDEY
Istanbul

The photo you published of the malnourished North Korean child as an example of those hurt by the country's economic isolation left me angry and heartbroken. When will the leaders of countries like North Korea start to love their children more than they hate their enemies? I challenge those in Pyongyang to look into the faces of their poor and hungry to see the results of their endless quest for military power.
SHELBY EMORY
Atlanta

Immigration Time-Out?

Your story on how Somali immigrants are moving into Lewiston, Maine, described some of the resulting tensions in the town [LETTER FROM MAINE, Oct. 28]. The problems that the town had absorbing 1,100 Somalis showed a good reason to support an immigration time-out. The era of Ellis Island is past. Today's immigrants are coming to the third most populous nation in the world. America is unable to absorb any more immigrants. What's more, some of these people represent a groundswell of cultural change that their homelands obviously need. Enabling them to emigrate will only prolong and encourage their parent nations' continued failures.
JAMES WALTON
Davis, Calif.