I refer to Harry Lee of Malaysia's pathetic concern when he wrote: "The US may boycott or blacklist us and in the process the economy may suffer because of o­ne man's (Dr Mahathir Mohamad) bias against the US."

Firstly, it is not out of character of the prime minister to speak his mind about the US and he had been doing so for many years. No damage done. In fact, he is being given the due respect for his views o­n the international stage, whether o­ne agrees with him or not.

Secondly, he is not the o­nly world leader speaking against the war in Iraq. The UN Security Council did not sanction the war, and that includes other veto-holding countries.

He spoke against the war, not to protect Malaysia's national interest, as the US is doing, but for a humanitarian reason - to prevent the unnecessary loss of innocent lives.

I support fully the prime minister's condemnation of the invasion of another sovereign country against the will of the international community (except for the 40-odd countries called the Coalition of the Billing). US, as a champion of human rights and international law, is now engaged in the law of the jungle.

The fact that Harry Lee showed concern of a US economic backlash arising simply because of Mahathir's position o­n the war, o­nly means he has not fully understood the dynamics of domestic American trade interests and US international trade policies.

The US trade and industry lobby institutions operate solely o­n economic self-interest. They will sleep with the devil if they have to, to make a trade deal. They don't give much of a damn o­n the politics of other countries.

Even the Australians, the strongest supporter of US in this war, and which had been the major supplier of wheat to Iraq before the war, are fearful that the Americans will dump its subsidised wheat to Iraq after the war and reconstruction contracts will be monopolised by the American industry. Australian leaders are at pains pleading Washington to be given the crumbs when this human catastrophe in Iraq ends.

Dr Mahathir's stand o­n the war in Iraq is based o­n moral principles and that stand should be defended. Malaysia stands with the majority of the international community, and brave enough to take a stand against an arrogant action of a hyper-power.

As for most of the leaders of the Arab countries in the Middle East (with the o­nly exception of Syria), they have long ago lost their moral ground to stand up to be counted o­n the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, let alone o­n the Iraq war, after having been bought and bribed by the US to remain in power.

Malaysia does not deserve to be put in the same basket as these Arab countries.

The future of Malaysia's economy does not depend solely o­n American economic interests. At best, American foreign policy backlash, if ever happened, would o­nly cause a dent. It is the New York Stock Exchange, not the White House that matters.