An eye for an eye and we’ll go blind

The U.S.A waited for the surrender of Osama Bin Laden. Yet after only three weeks, they declared war on Afghanistan. They believed, and made it clear to others, that they had been patient. Patience is a virtue, one that the U.S.A certainly does not possess. I certainly didn’t agree with the Taliban when they killed thousands of innocent workers in New York, but two wrongs don’t make a right. It will not balance out if thousands of innocent Afghans suffer and die too. Osama Bin Laden is an evil man and there is no question of that. But the U.S.A has declared war on terrorism, when really they are only after revenge.

The U.S.A is being very hypocritical about the bombings in Afghanistan because one minute they are bombing the cities and the next they are dropping bread to feed the people. Red Cross centres are being hit and there has been evidence of two Red Cross aid workers being killed. These aid workers were from America, so that it is a clear indication that the U.S.A has no control over their targets.

I can understand the feelings of resentment from the American people towards the Afghans but they are not to blame. The Taliban are a very small minority of people living in Afghanistan. They are as hated in their own country as they are in the likes of the U.S.A and Britain. But by bombing innocent people it is unlikely that the Taliban will be affected.

I don’t think that war is the only, or indeed the best, solution. If our world leaders could compromise like adults, I'm sure that they could come to a peaceful agreement. After all, if we believed in ‘an eye for an eye’ we’d go blind.

Margaret

Belfast