Sir, - While Michael D. Higgins (Opinion, December 20th) raises some good points about the benefits of international collaboration and diplomacy in tackling terrorism, I feel he misses one of Niall O'Dowd's main points. There is a time to act, particularly as further terrorism may well have occurred.
I say, yes, work on the non-military ways to combat terrorism, but first protect ourselves from imminent harm and danger by military action. I wonder how much debate and criticism would be occurring had our neighbour Britain been attacked as planned, perhaps even at Sellafield. Or maybe then it would have been too late for debate? - Yours, etc.,
Brett A. Williams, Windsor Road, Dublin 6.