The US Role in Setting Standards for World Conduct

While reading the article "Regional Dispute Tests Unity of Former Soviet Republics," Jan. 2, images of the United States bombardment of Baghdad last winter came to mind.

The Azeri attempt to control Nagorno-Karabakh by relentlessly "pouring hundreds of rocket and artillery rounds a day onto the regional capital of Stepanakert" reflects a historical tradition of warfare. Yet, did the US not reinforce this barbarism last year, adding impetus to an already accepted paradigm?

The high profile of the US demands that it exhibit responsibility in setting higher standards of behavior, standards our world shows great need of. Perhaps if we publicized the frustration of our current administration with the unresolved nature of Operation Desert Storm's results, other nations and peoples would be less willing to resort to such blind, brute force. Marie Shih, Seattle

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