Madam, - I find it highly ironic that the two major "defenders of democracy" in the world, namely the United States and the United Kingdom, have limited their responses to the appalling crisis in Zimbabwe to strongly-worded condemnation and finger-wagging.
I cannot help but wonder if the response would be the same if Zimbabwe had significant oil reserves or a credible army with long-range missile capabilities. - Yours, etc,
CONAL KEANE, Skerries, Co Dublin.
Madam, - I attended Nelson Mandela's honorary doctorate acceptance speech five years ago at Galway University.
He talked about not shirking our responsibility to criticise our friends when they are making mistakes or committing injustices. In keeping with this principle, he condemned the war in Iraq, despite the assistance George Bush had given African leaders in setting up truth and reconciliation commissions.
Mr Mandela has expanded vociferously on these sentiments in the international media while maintaining complete silence about the disintegration of democracy and human rights under Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe. His brief reference this week to the violence in Zimbabwe and its "tragic failure of leadership" is shamefully tame and belated. - Yours, etc ,
LIAM QUAIDE, Spencer House, Mayor Street, Dublin 1.