The End of al-Zarqawi

The killing of Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, the ambitious and notorious leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, removes a high-profile terrorist from the battlefield. But readers were skeptical about whether al-Zarqawi’s death would hasten the end of the war — and 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.

time reported that al-Zarqawi had a $25 million bounty on his head and that an al-Qaeda informant pointed the way to him. Al-Zarqawi’s death may have been, as you stated, “a desperately needed break for the White House and the U.S. military.” Yet that break was bought and paid for, and money talks. The world is rid of an evil, warped mind, but let’s tell it like it is.
Wilda Fonseca
Avon, Massachusetts, 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

Al-Zarqawi appeared at a time that enabled him to establish his reputation. Anyone who succeeds him as the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq will not gain so much notoriety. Al-Zarqawi met no interference from Saddam Hussein before the invasion of Iraq, and afterward he had support from antidemocratic forces. His reputation as a hard-line Jordanian jihadist worked in his favor. There will never be another al-Zarqawi.
Adnan al-Jamie
Baghdad

Good riddance to al-Zarqawi, who killed a lot of innocent people in his limited time as a terrorist. But how does the evil he was responsible for compare with the death and destruction visited upon innocent Iraqis as a result of U.S. bombings and atrocities like Haditha? I await the day when the Iraqis celebrate a similar good riddance to the U.S. troops as they withdraw from Iraq.
Shehzad Ahmed Mir
Islamabad

Is the Boom Over?
“Can Spain sustain?” [June 19] reported on an economic matter that transcends ideological debates and is present in Spain’s everyday life. Our economy is too much focused on construction. It has gone well for many years, but apparently we are now at the bubble’s bursting point. The increasing price of houses is untenable, and it is a handicap for young people and students like me who simply cannot afford to buy a house and therefore need to rely on our parents. That is the social problem that lies beyond, and no one seems to have a solution.
Javier Iglesias de Ussel
Madrid

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 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

A City on the Seas
Your article about Royal Caribbean’s new cruise ship [June 19] painted a subtly negative picture of cruising, which is not warranted. I recently cruised on a sister ship that carries nearly as many passengers, and I was amazed at how well the crew handled so many people. There were few lines for boarding and dining, and I never felt I was in a large crowd. Many Caribbean islands cater to multiple ship dockings in one day, and local excursions are managed by the ships or taxi services with very little hassle. So, how is this somewhat larger ship going to cause all the possible problems mentioned in your article?
Jim Kashishian
Madrid

The report on freedom of the seas noted that the ship sailed out of Miami and made references to the Statue of Liberty, so I’m concerned that readers might be left with the wrong idea about where the ship was built. The world’s biggest cruise ship was built in Finland; it took about 7 million working hours to complete, in a nation of about 5 million people.
Raikko Hytonen
Helsinki

Get Tough with Tehran
“The isolation of Iran” [June 19] addressed Iran’s resumption of uranium enrichment. The U.S. sees Iran’s defiance as new ammunition in its battle to convince Europe, China and Russia that only harsh sanctions can impede Iran’s quest for the Bomb. The big question is whether Iran will take up the offer of negotiations over the future of its nuclear program, and then actually deal in good faith. Both China and Russia have been reluctant to press for economic, financial and political sanctions if Iran balks. But without real costs to weigh against its nuclear plans, Iran will have little reason to suspend uranium enrichment and other suspect nuclear activities.
Syed Waris Shere
Paris

Football and Flag Waving
The article “Germany’s next 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 and provoked an unexpected outburst of black, red and gold on cars, faces, clothes, or draped from windows. 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