I am a pacifist whose heart lies with the desperately poor and trapped Nepalis who are the real victims of the "People's War". I have eaten their maize dhiro, their stinging nettle tiun, and sung their songs. I know their mounting frustration with government-the humiliation they suffer as ethnic minorities, as women, as pani na chalne castes, or even as poor and poorly educated higher caste farmers. Nevertheless, I was appalled by the counter-productive reasoning and misplaced sympathies of the email campaign against outside military assistance to a democratic government ("Peaceniks on warpath", #119).

The Maoists are destroying this country through murder, violent extortion, forcible recruitment of children, destruction of infrastructure, blockage of food aid, undermining community institutions and local governance, stopping all development efforts, all investments and tourism, and creating levels of distrust and fear Nepalis have not known for centuries.

Yes, there is over-reaction and abuse by the poor soldiers and police who live in daily fear themselves. But it would not have happened if the Maoist leaders had not instigated and led alienated and confused youth into a path of national self-destruction. The conditions in Nepal are appalling-but they in no way, in no path of empathic reasoning, justify the wanton use of violence in a country that does have democratic means for addressing wrongs, even if imperfect. And how will it stop? How can there ever be peace? And when will that happen? When there is a credible government capacity to militarily stop the Maoist advance and start to demoralise their followers. When the people in the countryside no longer have such fear of the Maoists that they can start passive resistance and exercise their democratic rights. When the middle class pulls its head out of the sand and starts to march against the Maoists and for peace. When all well-intentioned people of Nepal work to create a climate of hope. When the leaders see that their real future lies in working together to create a peaceful and prosperous Nepal for all Nepalis, where diversity is valued. In the meantime, instead of focusing on America's counter-productive Iraq policy, the intellectuals abroad sponsor petitions that will only result in prolonging the war and agony of the Nepali people. Get real. Promote real peace, and stop the murder of Nepalis by the most irresponsible leaders to have been born in this tragic country.

Jawan Singh,
by email

. At first I would like to thank Daniel for a good reflection of our country's problems from an international perspective ("Last stand", #118). He has written from the perspective of a Nepali mind rooted in our soil. Presently most Nepali people believe solving the Maoist problem will end all our suffering. Of course, I agree this would help, but if we look further, our future beyond is even darker. Our budget and any development projects can hardly be made without international aid. The article gave me a better insight about my country.

Kabindra Shakya,
Kathmandu

. Thanks a lot for a wonderful editorial ("Unity", #117). It emphasised that we throw our conspiracy theories out of the window and start to work collectively to repair the damages done over the last few years. I suggest the ideal place to start doing so would be holding local elections and strengthening the local bodies, which will also be helpful in undermining the Maoists' attempt to wreak havoc.

As we have seen by now, the men in green can do only so much. Having been in the US for a while now, one thing that's been driven home for me is decentralisation is the true strength of a democracy. Dirty political games are played here as well. But what makes this a prosperous nation is decentralisation of executive power to local governments, which allows them to function efficiently even when the political games continue at the top. It's easy to be fatalistic, talk of grand designs, point fingers at each other, and that's something, which comes very easily with our cultural beliefs. That won't get us anywhere though. Nation building requires effort, commitment and accountability on the part of everyone-leaders, bureaucrats, and citizens. There are no short cuts to development; the only route is to persevere with democracy, to devolve power to local bodies and to give people a chance to control their own lives.

Abishkar Shrestha,
Grinnell, Iowa

. The "People\'s War" has overshadowed our lives and makes us doubt the rationale for "righteous wars". Revolutionary wars are a war of principles: the oppressed fighting against the oppressor, the downtrodden overthrowing an unjust regime, the deprived and the voiceless revolting against the injustice. However, the "people's war" in Nepal has been anything but a war of principles. Where is the justice when so many innocent people have lost their lives by the hundreds and so many families displaced from their homes in the countryside by the thousands for no fault of their own? Where is the justice when innocent bystanders are killed daily by Maoist bombs in marketplaces? And where is the justice when so many youngsters have been promised dreams and made to lay down their lives? This is not liberation, it is a power grab riding a wave of social and economic discontentment.

Our leaders have been blind to the needs of the country. We got a political culture of greed: "rule by the greedy, of the greedy, for the greedy". But of all the evils that the Nepali people have been made to suffer, the worst is this war, the violence that has strangled the very fabric of our nationhood.

The remedy lies in uprooting the very causes of social injustice still pervading our society and surmounting the very challenges posed by the Maoist violence. This can only be done by a two-pronged strategy: establishing a more equitable socio-economic order that gives precedence to a rule of law and justice wherein everyone is dealt with equally irrespective of caste, creed, gender, race, religion, status or wealth, and simultaneously eliminating the very source of the Maoist terror campaign.

The government needs a leadership with a vision and intention pure in conscience, the people need an effective government with good honest leaders dedicated to the causes of the people rather than their purses. The security forces need the co-operation of all institutions of the state. Personal and party interests will leave the country divided and confused.

Chur Yetam,
by email.