Kurdish abuses; Uneven justice in Cambodia; France, America and Iran

Thomas Friedman makes a good point in his column "What's Missing in Baghdad" (Views, Sept. 10) about elements necessary for the democratization of Iraq. However, referring to the northern region as "Kurdistan" is highly contentious since it is not a province or territory of its own.

Secondly, commending Kurdish regional institutions so early in the Iraqi democratic process is unjust and dangerous, considering the atrocities by Kurdish militias against the Christian Assyrians and other minority groups.

Friedman praises the free market economy in the north and the political openness, but I would not say that consulting with the Kurds themselves about their political workings is such a fair and balanced approach to discovering how free and open they are. I would be more mindful of his own words, "when you hold elections without liberty, you end up with tyranny of the majority."

Friedman can advise the Kurds with these words the next time they intimidate innocent people going to vote while Kurdish human rights organizations turn a blind eye. It is important to remember that tyranny of the majority is no better than tyranny of the minority.

Charleston, South Carolina

Uneven justice in Cambodia
As Cambodians, we are delighted by the news of the arrest of the second-most senior Khmer Rouge leader, Nuon Chea ("Pol Pot's 'Brother No. 2' to face war crimes," Sept. 20). The arrest is another step toward justice for almost 2 million Cambodians who were killed or starved to death by the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.

However, many Cambodians believe that the aged and ailing Khmer Rouge leader will not live long enough to serve his prison sentence at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia if he is convicted. Given the gravity of the crimes committed by the regime under his command, many people think that Nuon Chea does not deserve the luxury of the ECCC prison while chicken thieves and other minor criminals have to spend many years in harsh conditions in Cambodian prisons.

In a sense, he is lucky to be tried at a court with an international standard of justice, compared to the Khmer Rouge victims who were tortured and starved before they were summarily executed for stealing potatoes or rice to eat.

Another chapter of history will be opened if the other remaining suspects are also arrested soon, particularly "Brother Number Three," Ieng Sary, and his wife, the Khmer Rouge's social affairs and education minister, Ieng Thirith, who were pardoned by the government when they defected in 1996.

Moeun Chhean Nariddh, Phnom Penh

France, America and Iran
By insisting on tighter economic sanctions, America and France are shooting themselves in the foot, not just with Iran but with the banking community of the entire developing world. A vast number of Asian Central bankers have privately expressed horror at the unilateral nature of U.S. decisions and accuse America rather than Iran of having encouraged global terrorism.

The European Union's meek submission to the American blackmail of European banks, and Sarkozy's showboating have convinced Asian governments that they are better served investing their cash surpluses inwardly or in locations beyond the reach of the West. This will serve to jeopardize global economic stability by exacerbating the already existing imbalances in capital flows.

All Sarkozy will achieve by aligning himself with America's discredited policies is to assume Tony Blair's mantle as "Bush's poodle."

Hamid Varzi, Tehran