Clik here to view.
Why should Libya not break back into Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and a desert polity of some sort (Libya battleground, 23 March)? It is just another artificial concoction, put together by the colonial powers after the first world war, like Iraq and most of the Middle Eastern states. Ethnic, religious and tribal groups do not fuse into happy nation states: Yugoslavia, Pakistan, East Timor and Sudan didn't; how long will the UK last, or Spain, France? Empires don't hold together – the British, French etc, and latterly the USSR, broke down. India, China and Indonesia are full of separatist possibilities.
The era of nation states has been a bloody one and may well be coming to an end – to be replaced by autonomous entities based on racial, ethnic and other differences. Though Benghazi is not talking of independence, that may turn out to be a safer choice than returning to the grip of Gaddafi or his successor. There are dozens of states with populations of less than 5 million. The difficulty will be to establish a global regime which will ensure the security and stability of small countries and protect the civil rights of their citizens.
Richard Frost
Whitehaven, Cumbria
• In the first 24 hours of the attack, US B-2s dropped 45 2,000-pound bombs. These massive bombs, along with the Tomahawks and cruise missiles launched from British and French planes and ships, all contained depleted uranium warheads. An impacting DU missile vaporises into irradiated oxides. Particles less than 5 microns in diameter are easily inhaled and may cause kidney damage and cancers. Expectant mothers exposed to DU may give birth to infants with genetic defects. This gives the lie to William Hague's "we are there to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas".
You don't have to look far for who and what are being "protected". The EU's latest arms control report says member states issued licences for the sale of £293.2m of weapons to Libya in 2009 alone. Britain issued licences for the sale of £21.7m of weaponry and were also paid by Gaddafi to send over the SAS to train his 32nd Brigade. And in that first 24 hours the allies "expended" £100m on DU-tipped ordnance.
David Wilson
London
• As an American who has lived abroad, I am ashamed of President Obama's testosterone-fuelled decision to bomb Libya. As our country's infrastructure falls apart, our education is cut (classes with 60 kids), we are pissing away our money on yet another war. For shame!
Candace Drimmer
Chicago
• A quote from Sherlock Holmes reminded me a little of our ruling classes. "He was educated at Eton and at Oxford, so Watson, bring the gun."
Gregor Truter
London
