Madam, - Mark Steyn (May 10th) argues that the West's indignation at the terrible images of abuse of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib jail is misplaced, because torture is routinely practised by Middle Eastern governments and, therefore, we should not be too concerned about the offence caused to Muslims by the photographs.
I agree that the Islamic world must deal with its own appalling human rights record, but this does not make the mistreatment of Iraqis by United States soldiers, male or female, any less shocking. We were told that one of the reasons for going to war was to end human rights abuses in Iraq and to set an example for the region to follow, but the actions of the US military have totally destroyed the moral argument. - Yours, etc.,
EAMONN McLOUGHLIN, Rochestown Park, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I read with interest and sad concurrence Fintan O'Toole's theory (Opinion, May 11th) that the photographs of US soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners reveal an absence of shame among the perpetrators of abuse, which may reflect repeated exposure to sado-eroticism.
Freedom of expression was (and is) hard fought for. But exploitation of this freedom has reached such an extreme that a whole generation finds nothing shocking.
History shows that each licentious period is followed by a censorious one. I look at my little daughter and don't know which to fear most: that she will grow up in the current climate or in a world experiencing a backlash against this shamelessness. - Yours, etc.,
TERESA MURRAY, Ringsend Road, Dublin 4.
Madam, - One has to admit that the American authorities showed foresight in one respect - they knew what they were doing when they refused to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.
The brutal treatment of detainees in Abu Ghraib Prison was clearly accepted policy and practice, not just recreation for low-level personnel. The current uproar over ill-treatment should not be allowed to obscure the fact that "the war on terror" in Iraq has resulted in the death of uncounted thousands of civilians, during and since the invasion. The recent picture of the football pitch in Falluja, now filled with graves, should speak to us no less than the pictures from the prison. - Yours etc.,
MYLES McSWINEY, Cricklewood Park, Belfast 9.
Madam, - Perhaps it will be a comfort for President Bush to reflect on how well his Russian counterpart is doing. Only four years after Mr Putin sent in his army (for the second time) to introduce democracy, remove any traces of separatism and snuff out the rise of militant Islam Chechnya, he was re-elected president by an overwhelming majority.
This event may even have coloured the Bush strategy: invade a target country far from home with a corrupt and nasty leader; be prepared to inflict tens of thousands of casualties, mainly civilian; destroy large parts of the country's infrastructure with ground and aerial bombardment during the liberation; and, of course, on no account question how your troops prosecute the war, particularly as regards the torture and death of prisoners.
So far so good for Mr Putin; but for Mr Bush the re-election campaign at home appears to be coming unstuck. He may have forgotten in the hugger-mugger of his invasion of Iraq last year that Mr Putin, in his own patch, has a way of dealing with strong political opponents who, if gaining ground, may suddenly have a choice between immediate exile or an indefinite period in a Russian jail.
The land of the free and the home of the brave hasn't gone down that road. . .yet. - Yours, etc.,
ARTHUR DUNNE, Blackrock, Co Dublin.