THIS refers to President Obama’s statement, ‘US to strike Syria without UNSC nod’ ((Sept 1). Any one interested in history will not be surprised by this blatant flouting of the UN.

This has become a norm with the US and its allies. The hoax of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, use of ‘napalm bombs’, ‘Agent Orange’ rain over Vietnam and Cambodia, depleted Uranium-based anti-human bombs ‘Daisy Cutters’, ‘Bunker Busters’ and ‘cluster bombs’ used with complete impunity by the US and its allies against innocent people of Afghanistan, with no ‘moral obscenity’, are still fresh in people’s memory.

Now there is a corollary to this attitude displayed by the US, the UK, France and their allies. Other countries will follow suit. And the first such country is India.

India is flouting UN Resolutions over Kashmir, and other border disputes with Pakistan and China, by giving a twisted version to almost every UN Resolution. Under such circumstances, the present-day UN is going fast to meet the fate of the League of Nations and, of course, with devastating effects.

ABID MAHMUD ANSARI
Islamabad

Wider conflict

THE alarming conflicts in Tunisia, Egypt and now Syria and other regions could lead to a wider conflagration. This time the destruction would be more than what defence analysts have predicted.

In fact, it is a pre-planned sectoral war and not what is being presented to the world as an issue of existence and honour.

But there remains a question of how the hidden would benefit from an assault on Syria? The big blunder would cost more dearly to future generations.

The conflict on the basis of religion and the rise in aggression, cruelty, atrocities, bloodletting, even genocide in some Muslim-populated regions will spiral an already out-of-control situation.

Many powers have allegedly a stake in the conflicts in Egypt and Syria and seem to be stoking revenge in the affected regions.

This time our own companions are also setting their own house on fire to fright the mouse away, perhaps they do want it to be a sectoral war.

All this can be contained if the warring sides come on to the table for a dialogue.

TAUQEER AHMAD
Peshawar