Sir, - Desmond O'Malley (Opinion, June 25th) derides our tendency to balk when it comes to American foreign policy, yet he fails to tell us what is wrong in doing so. There is, as Fintan O'Toole points out on the same page, the danger of this scepticism becoming so entrenched that it becomes a position in itself. But in deriding scepticism per se, as Mr O'Malley seems to be doing, he is being as knee-jerk and predictable in his response as the doctrinaire left that he criticises.
His talk about "the defence of the free world, the discouragement of tyranny and would-be tyrants" is all fine. But what he fails to concede is that for long periods of the Cold War, these were rather nebulous "principles"; upheld when they converged with American strategic interests, conveniently overlooked when they didn't.
One would like to think that the current rhetoric holds true and that we have entered a new era in international relations, with a more humanitarian purpose. Time will tell. Until we know more, Mr O'Malley should not be so dismissive of those who remain doubtful. He may be right to challenge the simplistic doctrine of US Bad, but he should be wary of perpetrating an equally unthinking, and sanctimonious, doctrine of US Good. - Yours, etc.,
Sean Phelan, Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin 1.