I wish to comment on the letter Shia-Sunni antagonisms predate US occupation of Iraq. The writer concludes that the "US and its allies cannot be blamed for the Shia-Sunni antagonisms that are centuries old". I disagree.

If you check the news article referred to by the writer, you will see that the writer is basing his conclusions on pure conjecture and speculation. The news article states in the section titled 'Messianic Faith' that, "In Pakistan, as in most Islamic countries, the differences between Sunni and Shia were initially confined to academic debate, and violent incidents were extremely rare". Yet the writer claims that bombings have always been a common feature in the Middle East even before US interference.

The news article continues to state: "The change in the regional environment and the emergence of a political, albeit violent, Islam, introduced a new phenomenon of sectarianism to Pakistan. The Soviet invasion of Pakistan brought funding from the US and Saudi Arabia for (mostly Sunni) radical groups to fight against Kabul."

So, how can the writer claim the US is innocent of the Sunni bombings of Shia places of worship in Pakistan when the Sunni terrorists were funded and armed by the US in the first place.

The writer also claims that Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are classic examples of the success of Western-styled democracy. Perhaps he has confused between democracy and capitalism. The fastest growing economy in the world today is the PRC (People's Republic of China). The PRC is not a democracy.

Despite this, it is the fourth largest economy in the world and is expected to overtake Germany within one year and then overtake the US and Japan within 10 years to become numero uno. The success of Japan, South Korea and China have actually more to do with its hardworking citizens and highly disciplined societies.