I cannot agree with your editorial view (7/16) that Australian participation in an attack on Iraq should depend on America's ability to show a link between the September 11 attack and the Iraqi regime. The U.S. has never said that the war on terrorism would be restricted to those regimes directly implicated in September 11. Nor should it be.

The U.S. and Australia have a strong vested interest in eliminating all regimes committed to supporting terrorism against the West. Iraq is certainly guilty of that and it has a proven record of abusing weapons of mass destruction. If Saddam Hussein did not hesitate to use chemical weapons on his own population, he will certainly not hesitate to use them (or worse) on U.S. or Israeli citizens of whom he is a sworn enemy.

Long-term, if the trend of terrorism set by Iran and Iraq is not broken, Australia will be a target. We uphold the same kind of secular society and material prosperity that so upsets Islamic fundamentalists, who despise life on earth and who demand your obedience or death.

Tom Minchin
Melbourne, Australia

[An earlier version of this letter by Mr. Minchin was published in the Australian Age.]