America the guilty

March 30, 2003

Dear Sir

It seems to me that Iraq is not the only country with weapons of mass destruction as indeed have India and Pakistan and so far the only country that has used them is America on Japan (Hiroshima & Nagasaki) should we not all go to war with America?

GEORGE GAIL

Paget

Rooting for America

March 24, 2003

Dear Sir,

When I was growing up in England in the dreary post-war 1950s, anti-Americanism was rife. Although the US had done much to save Britain's bacon in the Second World War, there was a huge amount of resentment towards Americans. Part of this resentment came from the fact that it took almost two years for Americans to come to their senses and support the Allies. Two years of hardship in which the Brits overcame overwhelming odds to prevent a German invasion. But most of the resentment came from the cockiness of Americans when they did finally join us. Britain, at that time and to a lesser extent today, was a highly stratified society where everyone knew their place. Americans had no sense of those social limitations. Stories abounded of those "rude" Yanks, often farm boys from the prairies, being introduced to minor members of the British aristocracy and answering, "Hiya Duke! Hiya doin?" To add insult to injury, the Yanks not only id not know their place in this world, they seemed to have a good time at whatever they did. The classic complaint of the Brits was that the Yanks were "overpaid, oversexed and over here"! So when the war ended, jealousy and resentment towards our friends, the Americans became a part of British culture. The Americans may have been our friends, but that didn't mean that we had to like them. And I can assure you that we didn't.

It took me almost 20 years to overcome that sense of anti-Americanism nurtured in post-war Britain and to see the US as it is. The dark glasses of jealousy and resentment deeply coloured my view of Americans and American society. Things that seemed wrong with America were magnified in my mind and added further justification to my anti-American views. American society seemed deeply flawed and Americans seemed at best naive and at worst, not too bright, particularly if you judged them by the quality of their politicians. It was an easy view to hold since the United States provided so much ongoing ammunition for this view through their ever critical and freewheeling press.

In the ensuing years, my view of the US has changed dramatically but not much has changed for most Brits. Despite Tony Blair's brave stand beside his American friends, the English are not that favourably disposed towards Americans. In fact this disease of anti-Americanism seems to have infected the whole world. As the "big boy on the block", the US and its people remain the subject of jealousy and resentment. This attitude in turn results in outsiders continuing to overstate the flaws in American society and anti-Americanism continues to grow. It's a no-win situation that will only be eliminated if America fails. In many ways it is the price of their success.

Some may argue that the US should lower its profile in the world but I would argue otherwise. Much good has emerged from US intervention, good that is often forgotten particularly by the beneficiaries of that intervention. US leadership in the Second World War and the incredible generosity of Americans through the Marshall Plan resulted in the defeat of totalitarianism in Europe and the establishment and strengthening of democracy in Western Europe. The defeated Germany and Japan became democracies with successful economics largely due to US intervention, generosity and timely withdrawal. US leadership in The Cold War resulted in democracy being introduced into Russia and much of Central and Eastern Europe. The world is a much freer place because of US intervention and leadership. It's not perfect but it is better. Yes, the US has made its fair share of mistakes but the successes far outweigh the failures; besides mistakes are an inevitable byproduct of America's willingness to take risks, where others are reluctant.

As the US enters Iraq, I have some advice for my American friends. Don't let the criticisms of the rest of the world deter you. Keep your eye on the ultimate goal to liberate the people of Iraq from a brutal dictator. Don't get seduced by the opportunity of Iraq's oil, it's not yours to play with. If you handle the invasion of Iraq with the US ethic of hard work, inventiveness and a desire to do good, you may well surprise the rest of the world with the results. You have done it before. Most important of all, continue to have that freedom-loving, optimist, can-do attitude. The rest of the world may laugh at your apparent naivete, but the results speak for themselves. Thank you America, I'm rooting for you.

ALASTAIR MACDONALD

City of Hamilton

China the key to war

March 31, 2003

Dear Sir,

I've been trying to make sense of this war. It is not weapons of mass destruction nor helping the Iraqi people liberate themselves of an evil leader. It could be Pres. Bush's fanatical religious believes. But who is using him? It is always about money. I finally realised that US corporations which are exporting manufacturing jobs to China could be the ones behind this war.

Even though labour costs there are the cheapest in the world, China has the highest demand for oil to manufacture their goods at present and they must ship their products. I wonder if US and UK soldiers would fight so fiercely and the British and US people would be in favour of the war if they were to find out that behind it is the goal to export their manufacturing jobs to a lower labour cost country like China?

INTERESTING HYPOTHESIS

Southampton