Although Pete Nichols likes to discuss responsibility, "U.S. must face consequence for own self-defeating foreign policy" (SN 2/12), I wonder if he is responsible enough to really think out his "level-headed" assessments of foreign policy. Iran and North Korea publicly state their nuclear programs are retaliation for American aggression.

However, nuclear programs take longer than two to four years to complete. To get at the stage where North Korea is and at the stage Iran is heading toward, you have to begin your program years ago. The fact is, North Korea has been working on getting a nuke since before 1994. We have no idea how long Iran has been working on their program.

It isn't retaliation to America's "misguided" foreign policy — it is an act of aggression on their part.

I also would wonder what Mr. Nichols would say to the Kosovars, who as an alternative to ethnic cleansing were stuck with America stopping genocide.

Additionally, the source for his argument is Vladimir Putin! The guy who is making every effort to usurp democratic control in Russia, who willfully engages in arms deals with terrorist countries, who opposes any sanction of dictatorships who violate human rights and international law — a great standard for international and geopolitical justice.

For whatever misguided conflict America was involved in, I am curious why Mr. Nichols thinks Americans were killed Sept. 11, in Beirut in the Marine barracks bombings, on the U.S.S. Cole, in the embassies in Africa. Was it really, because of the invasion of Iraq that didn't happen yet, or Vietnam? Or maybe, just maybe, we can't blame America first on this one.

Kevin Kelly
public administration and public policy senior