Letters

Can We Stop the Next Attack?

Thank you for your superb cover story "Can We Stop the Next Attack?" [NATION, March 11]. We can--if law-enforcement officials reinstate some of the proactive measures imposed immediately after Sept. 11, such as permanently closing the air corridors above nuclear power plants. On my first post-Sept. 11 flight from the New York City area, I was checked by security three times. On my most recent plane trip from the city, I breezed right through. How easily we forget. That's what the terrorists want us to do. And that's why your cover story was right on target. PAUL FEINER Greenburgh, N.Y.

When I saw the cover headline "Can We Stop the Next 9/11?", I thought America had finally realized that it needs to address the problems of the world created by U.S. foreign policy. Then I read the story and found it was mostly about increased spying. GRAEME MCLEAN Dunedin, New Zealand

We can prevent terrorist acts only if we inform, train and activate the public at large to participate in the fight. Civilians should be involved in gathering intelligence, sharing information and detecting suspicious people. Remember, and remember well: the public at large is the first line of defense. JACOB VAN DER WESTHUIZEN Pretoria, South Africa

The roots of terrorism will be severed not by high-tech bombing but by empathic foreign policy and social change. Equally important are educational programs within moderate and progressive Islamic sects. Terrorists have been raised on a diet of exaggerated Western "evil," and this can be overcome only by a campaign in which interpretations of Islam are debated by believers. There is also a great need for discussions by U.S. representatives--governmental and nongovernmental--about how the West will finally and honestly begin to address social inequities within poor Islamic countries. JOE MCFATTER Dallas

Where are those who oppose the war on terrorism living--on cloud nine? Terrorists are terrorists; diplomacy is not in their nature. We have to get rid of the states that poison their people into believing that terrorism is the only means of improving their lives. We might make a revolutionary change and create a world in which we can all live in harmony and promote the global advancement of technology. I hope that Bush and his allies will unite and defeat these rogue states and terrorists once and for all. ARNEAZ NORDIN London

The time has come for people of goodwill everywhere, regardless of race, religion, gender and nationality, to work together to cure the blight on our global unity. I envision a United Nations proclamation declaring Sept. 11 to be World Unity Day, not only to remember heroes but also to celebrate a new beginning. It could be a day to appreciate our differences, beliefs, races, genders, cultures and interdependence. HOOSHMAND M. KALAYEH Pittsford, N.Y.

No one who lived through Sept. 11 will ever be the same again. Though the Western powers have installed a friendly government in Afghanistan, the ordinary man's self-confidence has not been restored. The world cannot remain frozen in the fear of Sept. 11, like a broken clock. The trauma and hurt have to be overcome. It is time to work again. There is yet a lot to do. And we can never give up. RAJENDRA K. ANEJA Dar es Salaam

--Can an acknowledgment of lurking dangers backfire? "Such an article does nothing but scare us and reinforce our helplessness," complained a weary--and wary--New Yorker. And a handful of you cautioned that a discussion of how to prevent more attacks not only might be unnerving but also might invite them. "I'm surprised at how openly you release information about America's insufficient resources and unpreparedness," remarked a Californian. "Whatever the FBI and CIA are doing should stay secret," agreed another California reader. "Why are we giving ideas to terrorists who are likely still in our country?"

Peace Offering

Re "The Man Behind The Plan" [WORLD, March 11]: If the disposition of Jerusalem is a major sticking point in Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's effort to forge a peace plan in the Middle East, is the solution so simple that no one has suggested it? As important as Jerusalem is to the Israelis and the Palestinians, doesn't the city qualify for global status? Why can't Jerusalem be governed by an arm of the U.N., so that it is part of neither Israel nor a new Palestine but rather a city for everyone? That way, the Israelis and the Palestinians would be on totally equal footing, with equal access. ROSE MARIE CLEESE San Mateo, Calif.

Parsing the Plan

Columnist Charles Krauthammer is right that Israel cannot accept Saudi Prince Abdullah's peace-for-land plan, but he omitted the strongest reason: the proposal is founded on a discredited idea [VIEWPOINT, March 11]. The 1947 U.N. partition plan suggested the same trade-off. Idealistically, Israel accepted. In response, the Arabs started a war. The 1993 Oslo agreement too was based on the idea of land for peace. Naively, Israel handed over not only land but also money and weapons. The Palestinians used them to create a terrorist state, complete with arms shipments from Iran and the blatant refusal of its leaders to reduce violence. DOV MIDALIA Sydney

Krauthammer argued that Israel can't return to its 1967 borders because they are "inherently indefensible." If this is true, how did Israel win the 1967 war in six days? Winning that war in such a short period shows that these borders are perfectly defensible, especially for a country that has been receiving billions in American aid. Krauthammer should face the fact that peace will not come until Israel ends its military occupation, economic strangling and blatant human-rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza. NASIM FARACH Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Mourning in India

TIME's reporting vividly depicts the mayhem caused by extremist groups of Hindus and Muslims [WORLD, March 11]. Clashes under the guise of religion and political expediency can create long-term divisions between people and nations. Religious bigots should never use the name of God to instigate violence. People and their leaders must work hard to debunk these false prophets and stop the deaths of the innocent. ADRIAN VILLANUEVA Singapore

Did the violence and riots occur in the same India that boasts of an ancient civilization, a secular society and unity in diversity? Is this the country of the great Mohandas Gandhi, who stood alone in front of pre-partition mobs and made them slither away whimpering? It is really surprising that not a single politician went into these troubled areas to dissuade the fanatics. Compare this with the situation in America following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in which thousands of innocents were killed. We remember with gratitude the tremendous restraint shown by most Americans toward Muslims residing in the U.S., as well as the appeals from its leaders to prevent similar carnage of innocents in retaliation. It is said that God gives each nation the kind of leaders it deserves. With India's present leadership, the country can never be anything but the neighborhood bully. SHIREEN KAMAL SAYEED Dhaka, Bangladesh

Re the Hindu-Muslim riots in India: What we need to ask ourselves is, Are we being true to our own religion by being intolerant of other faiths? Do we really think we are earning God's favor by fighting, killing, molesting and brutalizing people of other faiths who were created by one God? AYESHA PERVEZ Karachi

Man on a Mission

Congratulations for the cover report on Bono's crusade for African debt relief and the continent's recovery [March 4]. Bono may not save the world, but his efforts are worthwhile. While we spend billions on warfare, people are dying of famine. It is time to value life. LUIZ VALERIO DE PAULA TRINDADE Sao Paulo, Brazil

Sixty years ago, when I was 8 years old, many schools in Holland collected money for the starving children in Africa. Not much has changed. Will the money Bono collects bring democracy and accountability to Africa? Let's hope Bono is the right man to make the changes that are so desperately needed. TRUUS VAN GINHOVEN Piedmont, Quebec

A Stand-Up Guy

Robin Williams is the best; he's the most intellectual comic alive [SHOW BUSINESS, March 11]. He is unrestrained without being vulgar, brilliant without being patronizing and critical without being cruel. I've laughed every time I've seen him being wacky and cried every time I've seen him in one of his "sappy roles." He can do it all. MARILLYN SUZUKI-DAY Silver Spring, Md.