WE now have a scenario where one man is accused of orchestrating an atrocity against the USA.

The man accused is one who aided and became part of a people who fought to rid their country of a despotic, puppet regime and then fought off its masters, only to find another extremist regime taking over - a regime opposed to those who aided the Afghan people with supplies of weaponry and training in the use of them.

We have to ask ourselves, before it is too late, why one man should do such a thing, which is far beyond the extremism of the present Afghan government?

Is it because the USA can be relied upon to wield monstrous military power against the Taliban and leave the Afghan people free and their nation to be rebuilt with world-wide help?

Or is it because one man has the fervent desire to rid the world of the perceived immoral, military and commercial dominance practised under the banner of freedom and democracy, while most of the world's population live in poverty and on the verge of starvation?

Imagine what will be left of Afghanistan after such a conflict.

What will the refugees of three major wars have left to come home to except handouts from a nation whose Congress under the last government was able to double the Pentagon's military budget from 11 billion dollars to 22 billion?

There are other routes to peace than war - unless the hidden agenda is really one of opposing the possibility of a federation of free Islamic states with the power to balance world affairs.

Meanwhile, the allied NATO battle fleets lie in readiness as if in some earthbound Star Wars movie, and await their ultimate order!

Malcolm Jones,

Eastgate, Pickering.

...I HAVE been shocked by the scathing criticism and anti-American views expressed in the media.

The terrorists, who carried out the attacks on innocent civilians going peacefully about their business, ruthlessly crashed hi-jacked airliners into buildings and committed mass murder.

The British public should, as Prime Minister Tony Blair proclaimed, stand solidly and unflinchingly with America and give President Bush all the support he needs in the difficult decisions he must make to eradicate the evils of terrorism.

There will, unfortunately, be the do-gooders who don the mantle of pacifism and refuse to accept that the terrorists thrive on this kind of support. Only universal condemnation and determined action to eradicate the evil menace of global terrorism makes sense.

Mrs E C Earle,

Heslington Road,

York.

...I WRITE to express my horror and disbelief not only at the tragic loss of lives in the United States, but at the way those in positions of power are dealing with the situation.

As I watched the two planes slice through the World Trade Centre on television, my feelings, along with millions of other viewers, were of shock and amazement. It did not seem possible that what I was watching was real.

It is equally difficult to imagine the intensity of hatred felt by the perpetrators of the attacks. Although the methods used by the groups suspected of carrying out the attacks are undeniably violent and cruel, their underlying principles are perhaps not so difficult to comprehend. Their hatred is directed against the so-called super powers.

The logos of multinational corporations dominate facades world-wide, a glaring reminder of who rules this world.

With them, they bring their culture - a society fuelled by materialism; one that supports a thriving sex trade and employs thousands of illegal immigrants in menial jobs on ridiculously- low wages, while outwardly maintaining the illusion of a firm stance against prostitution and immigration.

In short, a corporate power that seeks to dominate world trade and commerce by enforcing its policies on less fortunate nations. A society clothed and fed by the exertions of thousands employed in the sweatshop zones of the developing world. And all this under the flagship of globalisation, democracy and economic liberalisation.

No wonder groups suspected of organising the attacks are keen to protect their cultures from such a fate.

The USA and other global powers are clearly not 'good'. But neither is the Taliban 'evil'. There are no 'goodies' and 'baddies'.

This is the real world. President Bush would do well to remember that.

Rosalind E Ashworth,

Sheriff Hutton.

...President Bush and Mr Blair are right to pursue the perpetrators of the disgraceful U.S atrocities, but there also must be caution.

If we heavily engage in a long nasty war it could trigger off many other conflicts, and could provoke further outrages in years to come.

N. Fletcher,

Langton Road,

Norton, Malton.

...America should reconsider simply bombing Afghanistan. This will lead to more innocent lives lost, more poverty and more hatred of America, which in turn will lead to more violence and terrorism.

Therefore, bombing Afghanistan doesn't seem a sensible thing to do.

Western governments should be helping the hungry, stopping terrorism by rational means and helping to stop torture worldwide in places such as Tibet.

Alex Moore,

Ashbourne Way, York.

Updated: 10:15 Tuesday, September 25, 2001