Madam, - On behalf of the Russian people I would like to thank the people of Ireland for their sympathy and condolences in the aftermath of the atrocities in Beslan.
The Russian Embassy in Dublin has been inundated with calls and letters from people all over Ireland expressing horror at the barbaric violence against the children of Beslan, their parents and teachers, and solidarity with the families in North Ossetia, who have been affected by this inexplicable act of terrorism.
There are no words to describe this tragedy, or the grief of the Russian people at this moment. We are deeply moved by the sympathy and warmth of the Irish people and shall convey your thoughts and prayers to the people of Russia.- Yours, etc.,
VLADIMIR RAKHMANIN, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Ireland, Orwell Road, Dublin 14.
Madam, - I am writing to express my solidarity with the grieving relatives of those heinously murdered in Beslan and with the people of Russia as they come to terms with an act of barbarism against innocent, defenceless children.
In the immediate aftermath of the mass murder at Beslan there was a collective sense of shock and revulsion in this country. Then some elements of the media started to engage in double-think. They argued that the act was so depraved it must have resulted from brutalisation caused by the Russians and as a result the responsibility must lie with the Russian leadership.
Such double-think must be rejected wholeheartedly. There can never be any excuses for the mass murder of babies and children.
The facts are that psychotic fanatics, schooled in a new creed of mindless hate and mass murder, terrified, mistreated and finally murdered innocent children, whom they had deliberately taken hostage. It was a premeditated crime against humanity. There can be neither justification nor forgiveness for those who planned, financed, or took part in this unspeakable crime.
There is conflict in Chechnya, which can only be resolved through dialogue involving political representatives. However, there can never be dialogue with those engaged in crimes against humanity. Appeasement of such deranged psychopaths will only encourage even worse atrocities. They must be pursued relentlessly until they are brought to justice.
It is surely the responsibility of all religious leaders worldwide to work collectively to isolate and repudiate all those who call for, engage in, or apologise for the mass murder of innocents. - Yours, etc.,
Dr L.F. LACEY, Skerries, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Jonathan Eyal produces a disappointing and frankly shallow analysis of the apparent upsurge of "terrorism" around the world over the past few weeks and months (Weekend Review, September 4th).
Why is it that so-called experts still use the category of "terrorism" so uncritically and continue to explore political violence by non-State actors with little or no reference to the violence perpetrated by governments.
It is essential that analysts who use the word "terrorism" clearly define what they are talking about. A useful definition might be to see terrorism as an act of violence perpetrated to achieve a political end through frightening populations. In which case the "Shock and Awe" campaign by US and British forces at the start of the Iraq war seems to be a very good example.
Perhaps even more important than this is the assumption made by Mr Eyal and others that somehow we are in a vastly different era of "terrorism" since 9/11. Activities such as hostage-taking, suicide bombing, hijacking, and the bombing of civilian targets are hardly new. Europe in the 1970s had a whole range of non-state organisations conducting politically motivated violence of nationalist, anarchist and left-wing varieties.
Are we really in a world that is more unsafe than during the Cold War? Why is US politics dominated by the idea that US citizens are in danger when they are clearly not? I wonder whether the rhetoric of "terrorism" is a large part of the problem. It already appears to have helped legitimise the war in Iraq, resulting in the death of thousands.
We have to attempt to understand why non-state actors commit such terrible atrocities as that in Beslan. We need to understand why they use certain tactics. And we need to change the political contexts in which these activities are legitimised. Just calling them all terrorists helps no one. - Yours, etc.,
DOMINIC BRYAN, Institute of Irish Studies, Queen's University, Belfast.
Madam, - The heartbreaking images from the school in Besian of bloodied and barely dressed children will, like Nick Ut's photograph from the Vietnam War showing nine-year-old Kim Phuc running up the road near the village of Trang Bang with her skin on fire from napalm, remain etched forever in our minds. - Yours, etc.,
MICHAEL CULLEN, Albert Park, Sandycove, Co Dublin.