Letters to the Editor
Never say die
Sir- Re: 'Bush poised for victory' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 4-10 November), like many American voters, I was profoundly upset by the results of the recent election. I would however ask that you and your readers not jump too hastily to conclusions concerning America based on those results.
Only 60 per cent of Americans voted; just over half of them, or 30 per cent of the eligible electorate, voted for Bush; and more people chose not to vote at all than to vote for either candidate. A few percentage points' shift in the result and Kerry would have won, which would have led journalists to draw very different conclusions about "America" and its current state of mind.
My point is really a plea: as our government continues to pursue a reckless and dangerous and often murderous agenda abroad, please remember that the majority of Americans did not vote for that agenda, and that a very significant minority worked very actively -- if unsuccessfully -- to defeat it. (I know; I spent a few weeks away from home working for Kerry in a closely contested state, where I saw the passions and the divisions close up.)
The fact is that America is a profoundly divided country, not a monolith. Many of us are working hard to ensure that American power is used for more constructive, enlightened, and peaceful purposes than it is at present.
We lost on 2 November, but we are not giving up.
Richard Wittman
San Francisco
USA
Utter shame
Sir- Re: 'Bush poised for victory' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 4-10 November), I am among the many citizens of the United States experiencing utter shame over the results of the 2 November, 2004 presidential election. This seeming ratification of the horrors being perpetrated under this administration stains us with the blood of thousands dead and thousands more to die.
It would be much easier to embrace the theory that the election was fixed, via manipulation of "electronic" voting, which cannot be audited, than to accept these results as valid. How could it be considered paranoid, after what we witnessed of Bush/ Cheney, to suspect the worst?
For what it is worth, add my letter to the numbers you have received from other Americans who hope desperately to communicate with the rest of the world to this effect: millions of us utterly disavow the results of this election. Millions of us are in mourning for the death of our country. Surely you are being flooded with similar pleas.
Joan Troy
North Carolina
USA
Global vote
Sir- The American citizens have chosen to send the man, who has trampled on the views and wishes of a vast majority of the world's leaders and citizens in the last two years, back into the White House for four more years. In doing so, they have indicated quite clearly that the beliefs, views and opinions of the international community simply do not count -- that the USA and its citizens believe that they own and control the world.
But, the good news for us who live outside American borders, is that now comes the chance to bring out our votes. Yes, indeed, we can and must bring out our votes. We have every day of the next four years on which we can vote with our wallets and purses by switching our daily purchases from American goods to those produced outside American borders.
If we do this in sufficient numbers, two things will happen: Firstly, the American economy will shrink in size and importance in the world and thus decrease American economic might and that country's ability to bully the rest of the world. The world economy will not suffer, because the economies of the countries from whom we will be buying our products will collectively grow in equal part to the amount by which the American economy will shrink.
Secondly, if the American economy shrinks dramatically over the next four years, the absolute misery that they will suffer will wake American voters up to the fact that America does not own the world; that our views as the international community matter and must be treated with respect; and, that there is no way that we as the international community will allow them to again choose such an irresponsible bully to be their president.
So, the choice of all who cannot tolerate the way in which Bush's unilateralism is messing up international relations and fostering hatred and extremism is clear.
Let us start voting with our wallets and purses today and let us continue voting until Bush leaves the White House.
Please remember that every dollar's worth of American products and services that you buy in the next four years, is a vote for Bush and his destructive policies and actions.
Barry Vorster
Pretoria
South Africa
Personable Bush
Sir- Khaled Dawoud is correct in noting that most Americans support President Bush's Mideast policy, 'Bush poised for victory' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 4-10 November). Separately, we do indeed feel more secure at home.
Other reasons led to Mr Bush's impressive victory, which the article overlooked. The American economy is steaming ahead; unemployment is low; inflation is virtually nonexistent; nations of the world trade in the freest, fairest marketplace.
Plus, Mr Bush is a personable, honest, and resolute leader. Senator Kerry would have had a tough act to follow in the successful Mr Bush.
Robert Dominianni
West Paterson, New Jersey
USA
Tarnishing Islam
Sir - I very much agree with Mustafa El-Feki's comments, 'The cost of silence' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 4-10 November) regarding needed Muslim condemnation of the militants' slaughter of innocent and, in most cases, helpful people in Iraq and other areas of the world.
I hope his suggestions will be taken up by Muslim leaders and Sunni and Shia imams immediately as this slaughter has to stop. He is absolutely correct in noting that it is casting a large stain on world opinion of Islam.
Keep up the good work, Mr El-Feki, and keep writing the truth and applying the pressure on those that can make a difference.
Kathleen Fitch
Vancouver
Canada
Purveyors of violence
Sir- Re: 'Terrorists in Falluja' by Nermeen Al-Mufti ( Al- Ahram Weekly, 21-27 October) Hundreds of millions of people around the world -- along with tens of millions in the United States itself -- are horrified by the US military attack on Falluja, and by the aggression against the rest of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine.
When Nazis and fascists razed cities and killed countless civilians, all of humankind rightly condemned their crimes, paying no attention to their pretexts. Following the same logic, the world is now justly condemning the atrocious actions of the US government and dismissing its fairytales about promoting freedom and democracy.
We recall the ever so timely words of Dr Martin Luther King Jr who called the US government "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world".
It will take a powerful alliance of principled people across our planet to repulse this imperialist onslaught and all others like it.
Zeljko Cipris
California
USA
Futile debates
Sir- Re: 'Looking ahead' by Ibrahim Nafie ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 21-27 October), the problem with Arab unity, is what it always will be -- the Arab identity is too fragmented to unify and protect the interests of the Arab people as a whole. While the elites may debate the issues, they are too concerned with their companies and ties to the West to really affect change for the greater Middle East.
The most frightening thing about Bush winning again is that his administration is developing an agenda for the Middle East for the next 25 years, and yet the leaders of the Arab world cannot stand together as a collective agency and say: "No, this will not happen to us again."
I spent two years in Egypt and the one thing I know people can do is talk a problem to death, but when it comes to action there is none. The Arab world must stop lulling and confront the realities of the Bush administration's initiatives. Wilful naïveté will no longer do -- it is time for the Arab world and its leaders to be accountable to its people. It is almost too late, in fact, because the 25-year plan is being implemented while the Arab world and its elites continue to hold their "lively debates" with no end result.
Keisha Toms
New York
USA
National agenda
Sir -- Regarding 'The bloodiest war' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 4-10 November), the people who voted for George W Bush will deny this report. The international community will take their cue from the US media, and quickly go on to something else.
Andy McNickle
Kansas
USA
On corruption
He is, however, incorrect in his assessment that Israel does not criminalise money-laundering thus exposing the link between capitalism and corruption. This is simply not true and undermines an otherwise authoritative piece with incorrect "facts".
The only countries currently on the FATF Non- Cooperative Countries List are Cook Islands, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nigeria and Philippines.
In 2001 both Israel and Egypt were placed on the list, while Israel came off in 2002. Egypt, for the record, only came off in 2004.
Gregory St Mbast
London
United Kingdom
Al-Ahram Weekly reserves the right to edit letters submitted to Readers' Corner for brevity and clarity. Readers are advised to limit their letters to a maximum of 300 words.
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