Letters

摘要

Sir -I am so tired of comparisons of the air campaign in Libya to the invasion of Iraq (Lexington, March 26th). The intervention in Libya is being carried out in support of a genuine uprising that began without any prodding from the West. There are no Western boots on the ground and the military targets are carefully selected to avoid civilian casualties. The invasion of Iraq came after the "shock and awe" of American missile strikes, and left foreign soldiers in a country with little Iraqi or international political support. For those with an irresistible drive for simple comparisons I would recommend George Bush senior and his failure to provide air-cover for the Shia insurrection after the first Gulf war as a better example.