Readers' corner

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Gas war

Sir-- Re "Europe's winter of discontent" ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 22-28 January), the US is at it again. I wonder why it believes the more trouble it causes the better it is for America. Certainly, I can't imagine it is making friends and influencing people when it constantly gets caught with its fingers in the cookie jar. Please, America, stop stirring up trouble. It hurts people all over the world when you do your nasty best to create mayhem. Don't the lives of these human beings mean anything to you? Surely your nation's security is not being enhanced when you are so good at making enemies everywhere with your egregious activities. Even if it was, I would humbly suggest that your nation's pre-eminence is not worth the destruction that you visit on other countries on a regular basis. Please consider that thought.

Archie Fields
Toronto
Canada

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Have a heart

Sir-- What has happened to humanitarian gestures for the sake of the multitude of Palestinians who were being killed on a daily basis without being part of the war waged against them?

The Palestinians are punished collectively by the war mongers. I will not be taken aback if all people of Palestine take up arms to defend themselves against the warlords.

Manne Thebe
Kimberley
South Africa

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Better a friend

Sir -- Re 'Cold War shivers' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 1-6 January), there are golden opportunities to solve the Russian problem peacefully. The Russian people would love to join the EU just like other nations in Europe. The US government should work with the EU government to bring the Russians on board. They can pressure the Russians to continue to adopt a more democratic law-based political system. The Russian people will join the US and EU if they see good intentions.

Peaceful coexistence is much better than another Cold War with the Russians. They are part of Europe and not communist anymore. Their integration into the EU is the key for peace and stability in the EU and the Middle East. The benefits are mutual for the US, Russia, EU and even Israel.

Jaff Sassan
Brussels
Belgium

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Oil rules the world

Sir -- Re 'Race to the finish' ( Al-Ahram Weekly, 1-6 January), Al-Qaeda are simply the latest pretext for a "war on terror" which is not a real enemy or real war. It is merely an accuse for continued dominance vis-à-vis Russia/China in a battle that has been going on for decades. Anyone who has studied the Cold War period will tell you that behind it were energy "wars". This is separate from AIPAC which is a pathological outgrowth of a pathological transplant in the Middle East. Conflating the energy issue with Israel/Zionist/AIPAC confuses the issues that have been controlling world affairs.

Afghanistan has two things going for it in terms of invaders: the complex and formidable terrain and the lack of any semblance of a central government. The only vaguely central government is the one the US/NATO put in place. That role is not of any importance to the feifdoms that exist on their own terms.

Afghanistan does have a link to natural gas and oil -- the planned trans-Afghanistan pipeline. The US didn't invade for nothing. But wars of indigenous attrition are rarely won if ever. I can think of one example -- Europeans and indigenous natives. What happened was a genocide of massive proportion. The term genocide has its origin as a means to eradicate or exterminate, with intent, an identified group.

Max Shields
Pittsburgh
USA