#6529
#6
New York Times
November 2, 2002
letters
On Russia's War, and America's
To the Editor:
Re "Putin Vows Hunt for Terror Cells Around the
World" (front page, Oct. 29):
President Vladimir V. Putin's announcement that Russia will respond to the tragedy at the Moscow theater by striking back at the Chechen terrorists and their backers has widened the war on terrorism in a dangerous direction.
Should all acts of terror be allowed to be lumped into a single war, with different countries entering and exiting at will from an indefinite campaign that knows no international borders and needs no authorization from the United Nations?
The Bush administration seems untroubled by the distinct differences between the acts of Sept. 11 and other acts of violence in the world. By allowing any country to join the war on terrorism, bringing its own definition of terrorism, and then to use the broader war as cover for its response, we risk becoming complicit in other countries' handling of their internal problems.
It's time to return our focus to our war — the war against Al Qaeda — and stop inviting other nations to join their causes to our own.
KEVIN FELDMAN
Los Angeles, Oct. 29, 2002
To the Editor:
Mirroring our grief after 9/11, "The Boy on a Date and Other Sad Stories" (news article, Oct. 29) described Russians mourning their losses to terrorism. Here, airwaves were filled with criticism, not recognition that both our countries face a decades-long war on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism. We cannot fight this one alone.
Passing the Russian Mission to the United Nations on Monday, I saw its flag at half-staff. If I left flowers, would my photo go into some F.B.I. file? Perhaps, but it felt right. The mission guard waved his O.K.
Sadly, my flowers were the only ones there, in contrast to broadcast images of mountains of flowers outside the blood-spattered theater. Arguments about the use of gas and poor coordination between the Russian military and civil authorities miss the point. We, too, have communications problems. Could we have handled that rescue any better? And, we need each other.
DAVE ROSENSTEIN
New York, Oct. 29, 2002
To the Editor:
Re "The Slaughter in Moscow" (editorial, Oct.
28):
Our hearts still heavy from our own tragedy, Americans join the Russian people in mourning the innocent victims of last week's attack by Chechen terrorists. However, President Vladimir V. Putin is mistaken in his belief that military might alone will keep the Russian people secure.
You are to be commended for daring to take to task the leaders of both sides, while the rest of Western society stands by in embarrassed silence. To say that the Chechens have legitimate grievances against the Russian government is not to condone terrorist acts, for while the terrorists were indeed Chechen, not all Chechens are terrorists.
The longer serious negotiations are delayed, the more time and opportunity fanatics have for taking matters into their own hands.
BARBARA QUINTILIANO
Malvern, Pa., Oct. 29, 2002
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