Madam, - With hindsight, no doubt America and the West should have done things rather differently in recent years.
My own list would have included a much earlier intervention in Bosnia; military and diplomatic support for the Shah of Persia (Iran); and a much more favourable attitude to the Russian-sponsored regime in Afghanistan.
As far as Iraq is concerned I think it is too early to know whether the removal of Saddam Hussein was either necessary or sensible. Unfortunately, it seems very likely that whatever had been done differently we should still have been faced with the problem of Islamic militancy - a problem very much aggravated in the EU by the collapse of Western (Christian) self-confidence and nation-states and an unrealistic understanding of human rights.
It would be foolish to expect easy or comfortable solutions. Nevertheless, starting where we are today, one point is absolutely clear: nothing should be said or done to encourage any idea of early troop withdrawals or disengagement from Iraq.
What is essential now is to offer the Bush administration as much support as possible and if more troops are needed then more troops it should be.
What will finally emerge from the present mess it is impossible to say - possibly a divided country - but whatever the future holds it is unlikely to be made any better by the self-indulgent posturing of the anti-war lobby.
- Yours, etc,
MICHAEL TATHAM, Harrold, Bedford, England.