Letters to The Editor — June 21, 2025

Wars, a missing UN
Countries in West Asia seem to be burning one after the other, leading to a million dollar question. Where is the United Nations? What is it doing? What was an Israel-Palestine issue has now become an Israel-Iran issue. It almost appears as if the United Nations, the Security Council and the International Atomic Energy Agency have delegated authority to Israel to prevent the nuclear programme of Iran and wage war against it. The dangers of the wars spreading and disrupting life across the globe seem to have been lost on these agencies. The UN seems to have become a modern-day Nero. In the 'new world order', there seems to be no role for peace.
E.V. Tulasi Rao,
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Now that Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz has openly said that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei can no longer be allowed to exist, Iran could take this to be a serious challenge and attack Israel with all its mighty force.
Israel does not seem to want the wars to an end. The bombarding of the Gaza strip, causing total destruction, seems to point to its aim of wanting to form a Jewish state.
It is the primary duty of the UN to intervene and try to bring about a negotiation between all the warring nations.
Parthasarathy N.,
Chennai
There seems to be no end to conflict — the Russia-Ukraine war, the Hamas attack on Israel and the retaliation by Israel, and now, the Israel-Iran war. The effect of these wars has severely affected trade and crude prices, thus affecting the economy of many countries. What is surprising is the inability of the UN to intervene. The UN may end up losing its very identity.
M.R.G. Murthy,
Mysuru
Evacuation, optimism
Amid the very distressing news from West Asia is a gladdening report — the successful evacuation of Indian students from the war zones (Inside pages, '110 students from war-torn Iran land in New Delhi, via Armenia', June 20). What caught my eye was that many of the students were Kashmiri students, and were waving the tricolour on reaching New Delhi. This raises optimism that at long last, the disenchanted youth of Kashmir are now taking a step closer to endearing themselves to the Indian Republic.
Nalini Vijayaraghavan,
Thiruvananthapuram
No to intolerance
The Supreme Court of India's firm stand reaffirming the rights of film-makers and theatre owners, as seen in its direction to the Karnataka government to ensure the screening of Thug Life, is both timely and commendable. In a democracy, artistic freedom must not be held hostage by threats of violence or mob pressure. By underlining the state's duty to protect lawful expression, the Court has not only defended cinema but also upheld the rule of law. Such judgments strengthen the spine of free speech and remind us that intolerance must never dictate what the public can or cannot watch.
K. Chidanand Kumar,
Bengaluru

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