Letters

Readers were skeptical about whether the killing of al-Qaeda’s leader in Iraq, Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, would hasten the end of the warand whether it merited the big-red-X treatment on our cover

I was pleased that U.S. and Iraqi forces killed the monster Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, Iraq’s most wanted terrorist [June 19]. President George W. Bush should rightly be enjoying an upturn in his political fortunes. I hope it’s not wishful thinking to regard al-Zarqawi’s death as a step toward peace and the welcome departure of coalition troops.
Jeff Robertson
Yellow Springs, Ohio, U.S.

I found the cover image of al-Zarqawi’s face covered by a red X extremely eye-catching but also troubling, as it reminded me of the May 7, 1945, issue of TIME, which had an image of Adolf Hitler and an almost identical X. I wonder if it is legitimate to compare al-Zarqawi with Hitler, the latter having far exceeded al-Zarqawi in his crimes against humanity. But then, it is a blessing that al-Zarqawi has been stopped before such a comparison really could be legitimate.
Simon Nicholas
Cologne, Germany

I found the cover image so offensive that I had no interest in reading the story. The picture promotes violence. Such disregard for human life is damaging to all of us, no matter who the victim of the attack is.
Leora Sapon-Shevin
Syracuse, New York, U.S.

A portrait of Osama bin Laden with a thick black question mark over his face would have made a more appropriate cover image. I am worried that Americans are starting to believe that bin Laden does not exist, Iraq caused 9/11, and war is the only way to defeat fundamentalists.
Rachel Cromidas
La Jolla, California, U.S.

The Awakening of India
The cover story highlighting India’s economic boom seems to have come at the right time [June 19]. The country is changing in all areas. Shopping malls and multiplexes have mushroomed in many cities; young people are identifying with the latest brands in consumer goods. The big question is, What about the millions of Indians languishing in its dusty towns and villages, who still live a hand-to-mouth existence? After a hard day’s work, one square meal is at most what they get. Such basic amenities as power and clean drinking water are lacking. Caste still plays its malignant role, with upper castes dominating most high offices in government and the private sector. The Dalits should also get their share. Only then will it really be a new dawn for India.
Nawal Thorat
Aurangabad, India

In a world of quick changes and reversals, India continues to grow and prosper, setting its own pace, as your thought-provoking story clearly showed. The Indian system of democracy is seeking its own road to equality and social justice, which will make it different from Western and American models. Indians are saving more, eating better and enjoying a higher standard of living than ever before. Yet India has its contradictions. It is important to remember that many people still live in extreme poverty.
Vinod C. Dixit
Ahmadabad, India

Your story “City of Dreams” provided an authentic encounter with the new Bombay. It is hard to believe that so many things are happening there. But Bombay is booming only because the rest of India is booming. The city’s dynamism, as you reported, owes nothing to the inept and corrupt local government. Business is succeeding because the people, especially the local workforce, have taken their fortunes into their own hands.
Arabinda Pradhan
New Delhi

Hail to the King
I was impressed by Pico Iyer’s essay about Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, a member of the royal family who is admired by his Thai subjects and who in turn is full of patriarchal love for them [June 19]. Indian epics are full of royal heads who loved and cared for their subjects more than for their family members, but alas such benevolence is rare these days. Indians can only dream of a leader like King Bhumibol who could steer the ship of state to a safe harbor rather than sailing into storms of selfish politicians and running aground on the rocky shore.
Arvind A. Choudhari
Belfast

Marines Under Fire
Reading about the allegations that U.S. Marines killed Iraqi civilians in Haditha was an extremely sickening experience [June 12]. I would call the episode a massacre. What right do the Marines have to butcher innocent people? It’s high time the U.S. stops claiming it is liberating the Iraqi people. Americans have no business being in Iraq, and yet they have the nerve to rationalize the massacre by claiming that the Marines work under pressure. Is the U.N. sleeping?
Sandeep Dawkhar
Bombay

The bloodshed at Haditha is on the hands of President George W. Bush. The full horror of the Iraq war is beginning to emerge. Could Haditha be just the tip of the iceberg? The tragic war in Iraq should serve as a lesson to the U.S.: Never again should you elect as President a person who makes unilateral and rash decisions, one who acts first and thinks later.
Peter Karanja
Nairobi

Football and Flag Waving
The article “Germany’s New Pitch” [June 12] reported on Germany’s willingness to create a new national image and present it to the world while the country is host of the World Cup. Public-relations campaigns alone, however, cannot explain the flag mania that has gripped the country. That Germans seem to have discovered their flag and its stylish possibilities does not give cause for concern to our immediate neighbors, who were invaded during the course of a more toxic burst of nationalism. The current popularity of the national colors seems rather to be a celebration of a more relaxed feeling about our German past, identity and the displaying of national symbols.
Leo Fuerst
Augsburg, Germany