To the Editor:
Re “Obama Looks at Adding Bases and Troops in Iraq” (front page, June 12):
When will the United States and the West realize that the Middle East is entrenched in deep religious ideology and a tribal mentality with a strongman (king, mullah or dictator) at the helm? How much evidence, lives and money are needed to realize that the region is not ready for democracy yet?
Democracy cannot be forced onto a people who have never been exposed to it. Rather, it has to evolve over time and within the confines of its own boundaries and by its own people.
While older citizens did not have ready access to Western ideologies, the younger generations of Middle Easterners are fully exposed to them through the Internet, traveling, education abroad, social media and so on.
Thus, let’s stop sending American soldiers to Iraq and let the people of the region sort their regional problems among themselves. Ultimately, we would not want anyone telling us what to do with our country and political system, so we should do the same.
MICHAEL HADJIARGYROU
Old Westbury, N.Y.
Note from KBJ: I agree. If Muslims want to kill each other, who are we to stand in their way?
