Don't fight fire with fire

As a world citizen I wish to register my condolences to the bereaved of the victims of the latest terrorist attacks in the USA. However devastated we all feel, the true purpose of this letter is to express concern. Concern about the war-mongering that is going on right now: the reactions from president Bush and the decision makers in Washington are outright negative and exactly the response that will not solve anything but make for more terrorism.

Two wrongs do not make a right, why not tone down all the war cries, first let the UN identify the guilty parties, hunt them down and then try to apprehend all the perpetrators -- wherever they are, but let the World Court of Justice in The Hague take charge of the rest.

I do not believe we ought to condone that George Bush et. al. have the right to become the judge, jury and executioner, especially as even the terrorists may have a case that was the cause of the disaster in the first place. The mighty USA would be so much more respected especially by developing countries, if it were to use restraint.

Why do actions like this happen? Has the USA been even-handed in its Middle East and other foreign policies? The answer is clear.

Why are Americans hated so much? -- a phenomenon that most Americans at home do not understand. Why not ask and find out why and then do something about it. Is this not an opportunity for the USA to turn the other cheek, to try and earn the respect of the many people that now hate us? Are we really any better than our enemies if our response is one of irrational bombing of a third party or country? Isn't there already enough suffering in this world? Are not always the poor and the innocent the real victims?

Rather, let us transform this into a positive outcome for all the people in this world by setting a truly good example, not a phony revenge, a quick fix that may kill a lot of innocent people. Let us think long term and not fight fire with fire but rather stand above terror and find a solution to this problem.

Let us instead reach out and respond to the evil things that have happened in a positive manner, one that results in respect of all those who now think negatively of the USA, and hope that they will see us stand above all this evil, come to respect us and come to see us as friends.

In this moment of extreme crisis we especially need to seek solutions and not make things worse. In a way this is an opportunity. Perhaps then, if we act responsibly, the many people who died in these awful attacks will not just become martyrs, but instruments for creating a better and more just world.

JOHN WILLIAM BERNARD

Jakarta