It should be clear to all and sundry that the only reason the USA, the United Kingdom and their allies went to war in Iraq was as a consequence of seeking to gain access to oil reserves in order to sustain a way of life back home that is threatened by the shortage and finite nature of oil.

Clearly access to such supplies is necessary in the short and medium term so that alternative means of living including the use of bio-fuels can be developed in the long term. The combating of global terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction happened to be simply a smokescreen. While Iraq should never have been invaded, the war in Afghanistan should have been brief.

In response to the al-Qaeda attack on the USA on September 9/11 2001, the occurrence of such an attack is unlikely to take place once again, given the subsequent tightening up of security.

Ryan Kelly

Ireland