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While I was thrilled that my guest column appeared in the April 22 Speaking Freely section of Asia Times Online, I received many anguished e-mails from Pakistanis asking why I would be so hostile to the land of my origin. I asked them to reread the article without regard to the headline, Rein in Pakistan, now . Several of them came to agree that the article was less about Pakistan than about the Bush administration's sloppy and thoughtless manner in dealing with looming geopolitical challenges. My implication was that the United States should spend more time working on "stabilizing" nations like Pakistan, not on aggressively reining them in. The latter mode is precisely what is sparking anti-American sentiment around the globe.
Robert Asghar
Los Angeles, California (Apr 24, '03)


No paved roads outside of Kabul! [ Gloves come off on the US, home front, Apr 24] Horrors! It may even be true that mirrors have not yet been installed in public restrooms throughout Afghanistan! Thanks to an alert Newt Gingrich, America has been warned that our State Department is failing in a key mission - road paving!
Anon (Apr 24, '03)


Normally Henry C K Liu is a pleasure to read but his rant Chaos, crime and incredulity  (Apr 24), including this and others: "on a scale thousands of times worse than that which the US accused the Saddam Hussein government of having done to the Iraqi nation and its people", is a bit over the top. True, the sacking of Iraq's antiquities is a crime of unbelievable proportions, but to paint it as even equal to what happened to the Iraqi people under Saddam is downright sophomoric. Inconvenience isn't comparable to democide. I also wonder if Liu felt the same during the first seven days of the war when Iraq was exhibiting stiff resistance as compared to the final days where he scolds US military planners for not knowing or even acknowledging there would be no Iraqi resistance. As a market capitalist, Liu is well acquainted with the notions of accountability and responsibility. Maybe he should apply those same standards and morals to the Iraqis. Anything less would be racist, perhaps?
Jim Resh (Apr 24, '03)


"If this war is about spreading US values, it has scored only defeat by spreading barbarism. The destruction of the Iraqi network of presidential compounds, government and cultural institutions and facilities bring to mind the 19th-century burning and looting of the Summer Palace in Peking by barbaric Western imperialist plunderers" [Chaos, crime and incredulity, Apr 24]. I agree with what you [Henry C K Liu] said. As a Chinese living in Canada, I can feel the pain our ancestors felt a hundred years ago. They had no guns, like Iraq today, no air defense, no bunker-buster bombs. Educated in the West, we used to adore these American values. Now only the painful reality remains. A hundred years have past. The ghost of imperialism is still alive in its coffin. The shock and awe our ancestors suffered in burning our palace caused the revolutionary change in modern China. It also could happen in Iraq, the Middle East and the rest of the world. History will tell. Thank you for your excellent writing!
Alice Shay
Calgary, Alberta (Apr 24, '03)


I read about Myanmar, my country [Another blow for Yangon, Apr 18]. Thanks for the information. I want to tell you about our country's political [situation]. I don't believe the rebel leaders because they are selfish. They are no good for the country or the native people [they represent]. The army government [leaders] are big gangsters because they don't want to hand over power. They don't do anything for the country. They scare opposition leaders. The opposition leader [Aung San Suu Kyi] is okay! Whoever does get [control of] the country, they must take care of the country like it is their family's business.
Symes Zaw (Apr 24, '03)


American corporates have eyed Sri Lanka for long time; the corrupt US regime would do anything to get their dividend [Tigers prove the president right, Apr 23]. The United States has deliberately undermined the LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam] by not inviting them to the donor conference. LTTE was right to withdraw from the talks. The reality in the north is much different - even if you are traveling by bus, you must get off and walk [through] at least four or five checkpoints. Many schools , temples, public places and private homes are occupied by the Sri Lankan Army.
Ajay Ananth (Apr 24, '03)


Dear Editor and dear Piyush: I enjoyed reading the article China's atypical politics,  Apr 24, by Xu Yufang. That is the kind of article Asia Times Online should publish. I do not think ATol should publish lies. The articles written for the purpose of promoting anti-Chinese fantasy are nothing but lies. China is not a perfect country. However, it becomes a better country every day. Like all other independent countries, including the USA, the road to democracy is not short.
Frank
Seattle, Washington (Apr 24, '03)


"I just read some of the letters posted to Asia Times Online. It seems that there are kooks all over the world ... yes, even the USA. The large preponderance of anti-USA letters are apparently from people who are ignorant or most likely wish to ignore the atrocities that Saddam Hussein did to his own people ..." [letter by US Citizen, AWP, US Navy (Retired), Apr 3]. I firmly believe that all people should be entirely free to express their thoughts. Its only that this particular opinion, if I may be allowed, did leave me with a question. How can anyone spend that much time around water and still not recognize the smell of fish?
M Melton
USA (Apr 24, '03)

Paul Belden writes: "One would have expected the thankful Iraqis to have erected a monument to their liberation at this site - not to have organized a million-man march against their liberators. But that's the way of freedom - once you unleash it, it can be hard to control, and dangerous to try. It's not as if the people didn't know about that earlier battle" [Freedom unbound, and out of control, Apr 22]. The Iraqi people not only know about the earlier battle, but they know the whole history of American support for [Saddam] Hussein and the Ba'ath Party. The Iraqi people know the history of the sanctions, and their devastation of the nation. The people know of colonial exploitation by the West. The Iraqi people have also been witnesses to the lies and manipulation used to justify the war. They are no dopes. If two tyrants fight over them, they don't celebrate the one who won, even though they are glad that the other is out of the picture.
Bob Fleischer
Groton, Massachusetts (Apr 23, '03)


I just noticed a line in one of the articles that is not accurate, and is somewhat offensive to Muslims [Freedom unbound, and out of control, Apr 22]. The line "bearing the 99 names of the Islamic God adorning the wall's crest" is not accurate at all because Muslims worship the same God as Christians and Jews, and is revered as a divine being. That statement makes it sound as if Muslims worship a different God. It should be stated that they are 99 divine names that Muslims use to describe his attributes - such as the most merciful, the all-knowing, etc.
Anon (Apr 23, '03)


It seems that most Pakistani have to start boycotting your site if you continue to publish rubbish by questionable authors like B Raman, Robert Ashghar and others of their ilk [Rein in Pakistan, now, Apr 23]. It seems anyone can claim to be a scholar at Asia Times Online as long as they can bash Pakistan. I advise [ATol] to remove this [article]. Please don't turn this into a Pakistan hate site. I also wonder why you don't publish letters that question the validity of these so-called authors.
R Gondal (Apr 23, '03)


To Frank (Seattle) [letter below]: Before demanding more Chinese authors commenting on India, may we demand that the Chinese regime first allow the Chinese authors to dissent and criticize its own policies and comment on its own domestic happenings? Is that too much to ask for?
Piyush (Apr 23, '03)


Your article A lady with real attitude, Apr 18, makes me cry all right, but not because she is so right. It's because she is a hypocrite to the extreme. I have one simple question: Why wasn't the "bitch of Baghdad" yelling the same tirades at Saddam [Hussein]'s secret police about six months ago? She has no real courage, just a lot of hot air and precious little intelligence.
Jody Barr
Shanghai (Apr 23, '03)


Freedom is a word bandied around the world without much meaning if the military defeat of mind-controlling regimes does not bring about the emancipation of a country's citizens from religious oppression. Political liberation alone, therefore, rings hollow to those who value religious faith above all else. The foremost obstacle to peace is religious fanaticism in the shape of religious oppression. How many people in religiously oppressive countries have the freedom to practice openly their faiths apart from the so-called official and major religion of that country? How free are its citizens to change their religions without the threat of persecution and the charge of apostasy punishable by death? Communism used to be the arch-enemy of freedom because of its evil control of the people's thoughts. Today it is religious fanaticism. Unless we are freed from this modern-day slavery of the mind, the celebration of the fall of any dictatorship will not be complete. This war is harder than any military campaign but it is one the world must not ignore and which can be done without the use of force. The greatest freedom is the freedom to believe and express that belief in positive ways. Many liberated countries have still to see it happening in real life and still fall victim to the persecutor's sword. Even in moderate Malaysia, the recent banning of the Iban Bible, the only Bible translation in the native tongue of the minority native community in Sarawak, has served as a wake-up call to Christians in the Muslim-dominated nation. It does not augur well for freedom.
Steve Oh (Apr 23, '03)

Francesco Sisci's article In Beijing, diplomatic opportunities abound, Apr 19, is just another baseless anti-Chinese article published by India-biased Asia Times Online. There must be many Indian editors working for ATol. An interesting observation is that most Indian authors do not write much about India. Why? Should I remind the editors that, other than China, India is also another large country in Asia? Actually, India is winning in the area of population growth. It will become the largest country in the world soon. How about an article authored by Chinese regarding India? Is that too much to ask?
Frank
Seattle, Washington (Apr 22, '03)


Dear Paul, [Belden], regarding the article Free press and the face of war, Mar 25, we commend you for your candid, honest and informed assessment. In many ways, it has opened our eyes. With little "real, honest, candid and informed" reporting elsewhere, we will be following your coverage very closely. Keep up the good work.
Mike Keith
Australia (Apr 22, '03)

Is "Pavel Ivanov" actually Stephen Blank? This really bizarre piece sure sounds like him [Russia left out in the cold, Apr 19].
Oleg (Apr 21, '03)


Regarding Russia left out in the cold, Apr 19: entertaining story - loved that note of ruefulness.
Anon (Apr 21, '03)


I, for one, was impressed by the bravery and dedication of Uzma [A lady with real attitude, Apr 18]. Several who wrote to you, among them BJM, seem to think that their American boys being "yelled at" amounts to a war crime far worse than groups of those same American boys gunning down women and children at a checkpoint. You think it doesn't take courage to yell at a soldier? Look at something besides Fox News and try to formulate a balanced opinion. Civilians dead, American boys yelled at. Gee, which is worse?
Joe Salazar
Los Angeles, California (Apr 21, '03)


Tony Sitathan's April 19 article in Asia Times Online regarding privatization perfectly demonstrates why Indonesian privatization will fail as a development policy, even if it has World Bank and IMF [International Monetary Fund] blessing [Privatization blues in Indonesia].  It is wrongly being done to maximize money transfers to state budgets rather than to break up state-owned monopolies (SOMs). Privatizing rather than dismantling SOMs will garner huge revenues for the state because privately owned monopolies are incredibly profitable for a few disgustingly rich Indonesian and foreign investors. But monopolies, whether private or public, restrict competition and output, thus denying most Indonesians access to productive formal sector jobs and investment opportunities. If correctly done, privatization will bring less revenue to state budgets but will dismantle the monopolies, thus creating competitive job and investment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of Indonesians now excluded from participation in formal sector economic activity.
Robert Myers (Apr 21, '03)


In Mark Baker's article Now to repair the Iraqi economy, Apr 19, he speaks of Iraq's staggering foreign debt: "Estimates of Iraq's debt to commercial banks and governments amount to between $60 million and $120 billion (sources vary widely). The country's total external debt, including war reparations to Kuwait and Iran and unresolved compensation claims, amounts to something like $400 billion." He further says, "All sides agree a framework must be put in place to identify the debt and work out a reasonable time frame for paying it back." Well, I disagree. Why not cancel the debt? What possibly does Iraq gain by paying off in the decades to come this staggering amount of money? Surely Iraq's "credit rating" is already zero. Wouldn't Iraq's "lendability" be greater 10 years forward if it defaulted now than if it attempted to pay off these sums? As for the ethics of bankruptcy - shouldn't there be a risk to those that lend to repressive elites, elites that weren't even elected by the people who are expected to pay back that which they never benefited from?
Mark Amerman (Apr 21, '03)


Francesco Sisci's recent article In Beijing, diplomatic opportunities abound, Apr 19,  again fully exposes his heavily Indian-centric world view. It is true that there has been a period of over 50 years of rivalry between the two Asian nations - the list of grievances is too long to list. However, it is now time to move beyond the finger-pointing stage on assigning who wronged whom.
Anon (Apr 21, '03)


Time and time again, [Francesco Sisci's] rants about China and how its people should think twice before taking a position that contradicts the US are upsetting and baffling to this reader [In Beijing, diplomatic opportunities abound, Apr 19]. If China during Mao [Zedong]'s era, with a troubled economy and internal strife, could stand firm against US follies, why should today's China, a rising economic power and modernizing rapidly, kowtow to the US? The US has done everything it can to slow the rise of China - using Taiwan as a pawn and making unreasonable demands that are insulting to the Chinese nation - [and that] is [being] noticed by every Chinese around the world. Undoubtedly, some will be cheering for the US as it [is] perceived as the superpower defending freedom around the world. Many probably now realize US motives after Iraq was invaded without the UN's sanction, and suddenly the freedom-fighter mask is off and the imperialist face is bared for all to see. Time is on China's side.
Terry Tam (Apr 21, '03)


Notwithstanding potential "SARS scares", the April 17 ATol commentary A world without the UN? Nah by Sreeram Chaulia further reinforces my earlier suggestion that the UN Headquarters should be relocated from Turtle Bay in New York City to a purpose-built new island in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor over some reasonable period. Neutral ground to be sure, and safe from ungrateful superpowers, both current and future. A joint UN resolution sponsored by China and the UK should do the trick.
Tom Sullivan
Princeville, Hawaii (Apr 21, '03)


Congratulations on publishing this very well researched and thoughtful article by B Raman [A welcoming friend to many a terrorist, Apr 19]. His article reminds us that the Bader Meinhofs and Red Brigades have not disappeared, they only changed their name to al-Qaeda, Hamas, etc, still hiding behind outdated slogans such as "fight the political establishment", "defend Islam", among others. Raman's indictment of Syria is more than compelling and it is beyond me why this terrorist-infested dictatorship has not been targeted more aggressively in terms of diplomatic pressure and embargoes.
Stefan C Mazur
Santa Barbara, California (Apr 21, '03)