ANDY STOREY,
Sir, - Amid his claims that Ireland is suffering from an epidemic of anti-Americanism, Niall O'Dowd (Opinion, September 10th) states: "Some have openly pined for the return of the Soviet system. . .Others who objected to the war in Afghanistan appear to weep for the Taliban."
Can Mr O'Dowd supply an example of who exactly in Ireland has been doing this pining and weeping? Maybe I missed something, but I have been following these debates fairly closely and I do not remember a single instance of someone critical of US foreign policy basing their position on a defence of Soviet or Taliban totalitarianism.
But precise evidence does not appear to be Mr O'Dowd's strong point, given that he does not furnish any empirical support for his more central claims of widespread Irish anti-Americanism. Has there been an opinion poll on this issue? If so, I missed it.
Mr O'Dowd's stance consists of setting up a probably bogus thesis (anti-Americanism) and gilding it with specious guilt-by-association charges (critics are supporters of Soviet or Taliban rule). How this contributes to an informed debate on these issues is far from clear. - Yours, etc.,
ANDY STOREY,
Ravensdale Park,
Dublin 12.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - As an American student of Irish political culture, it would be very wrong for me to draw a conclusion that the Irish were so chauvinistic that they could not draw a distinction between the British people (whom the Irish love) and their contempt for the history of British foreign policy towards Ireland and military actions there. Within this context I read Paul Joyce's complaints complaints about recent criticism of the United States (September 16th).
I do not accept that the world hates the American people. It is the government, the military and corporations that are resented - and with some reason. To anyone living outside the US, this may seem an obvious point. However, most Americans are not used to drawing the distinction most outsiders do between Americans and America because of the very poor level of debate and analysis inside the US.
As a result, a year after the attacks in New York and Washington, Americans still remain largely unaware of how the world regards us and why. So please do not judge us all too harshly. - Yours, etc.,
JUDITH GOLDBERGER,
Redwood City,
California,
USA.
... ... * ... * ... * ... ...
Sir, - Paul Joyce (September 16th) laments the increasingly "unsophisticated" criticism of the United States on your Letters page. This contention can be easily challenged, but it does require an understanding that even sophisticated foreign observers don't appreciate how poorly served Americans are by their media and education systems, how narrow is the range of information and debate in "the land of the free".
An outstanding example was President Bush's warning to foreign nations, days after September 11th, that "either you are with us or you are with the terrorists". Is this the kind of sophistication we should all aspire to?
Furthermore, September 11th is also the date - in 1973 - when a coup encouraged by the US overthrew a democratically elected government in Chile. The official death toll, was remarkably close to the number of lives lost to terror 28 years later in America.
That this disquieting parallel passed unremarked in American coverage is hardly surprising. - Yours etc.,
ULTAN O'BROIN,
San Francisco,
California,
USA.