Mail Call: Competing Schools

The only solution for getting out of the no-win war in Iraq and perhaps break the cycle of violence is to partition the country. Since a national unity government has been impossible to form, the three groups might be willing to separate themselves from their centuries-old enemies; the oil-revenue problem can be settled diplomatically. It's a shame to pour $9 billion a month down a bottomless hole for this artificial war. How many more Americans have to die before political maturity comes to Washington's powers that be?
James Mc Donald
Milan, Italy

Democracy and the Middle East

Your June 25 cover story, "The Gaza Effect," was an eye-opener about a fundamental problem in the Middle East. Since President Bush was elected in 2000, he has tried to foster democracy in the Middle East. However, instituting a new political culture in a society that has for years been accustomed to a different way of governing is difficult and needs to be done in stages. For instance, the Bush administration refused to recognize Hamas's growing power among Palestinians and insisted—despite repeated warnings—that Hamas take part in elections in 2005, in the name of democracy. Then, after Hamas was elected, the Bush administration decided to ignore the Palestinians' democratic decision and internationally isolated the Hamas administration. Now, how can the leader of any Middle Eastern country publicly promote democracy when the Bush administration refuses to recognize a democratic decision by the Palestinians? Bush's attempt to instill democracy resulted in a defeat, not a victory. The plan to introduce democracy in the Middle East backfired. The fact is that in the Middle East, democratic elections often show support for very undemocratic groups because these groups are an authentic reflection of local sentiments and political culture. The U.S. government needs to take the time to properly understand the unique nature of the Middle East and gradually promote democracy using the right tools. This approach would be more conducive to allowing citizens to have a chance to learn, understand and make use of the rights that underlie a real, lasting, Western-style democracy.
Netanel Lapidot
Elkana, Israel

Al Qaeda is alive and well in North Africa, getting a steady supply of recruits from the bidonvilles that surround cities like Casablanca or Algiers where poverty, squalor, unemployment and despair breeds terrorists. The same conditions also exist in the Gaza Strip.
William Miller
Via Internet

Surely I am not the only one who noticed, in separate articles, the sentences "The president's effort has so far had the opposite effect of what Bush intended," pertaining to $75 million worth of democracy funding in Iran, and "Things haven't worked out the way Bush expected," in reference to the Hamas electoral victory in Gaza? Isn't it time to stop feigning surprise when circumstances sour on issues Bush has had hope for or a hand in? Knowing what is at stake, it is imperative that Americans look around their communities and elect the next great president.
Rob Fraser
Milan, Italy

Jolie, the Good Samaritan