While it appears that you recognize the gravity and barbarity of the latest terrorist attack in Russia ("Deadly Stalemate in Chechnya," editorial, Sept. 4), your recommendation that President Vladimir V. Putin engage in discussions with the terrorists is both misguided and dangerous.
So the idea that 1.6 billion people, nearly one-quarter of the earth's population, are terrorists is both naïve and ignorant.
However, the inspiration of today's terrorist to be able to achieve name recognition or even re-branding from loser to terrorist is both degrading to those who fought for a greater good and misleading to the self-centered motivation of many of today's perpetrators.
"Terrorists are enemies of both Pakistan and the United States, who need to discuss how to enhance cooperation and that is what we are doing," Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the United States, said in a text message on Sunday.
On June 29th, by five votes to three, the Supreme Court ruled that the special military tribunals that George Bush was hoping to use to try suspected foreign terrorists are illegal under both military law and the Geneva Convention.
These terrorists are successful because they both acquire infamy and instill fear in the general public.
To point out, as former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani did yesterday, that the terrorists were responsible is both accurate and unhelpful.
"In my film, we use the enigma of the situation — is he a spy, is he a terrorist, are neither, are both?
"Terrorists are attacking America".
