IN all interviews heard and seen on radio and television concerning the “Red Line” crossed by Syria in the use of chemical weapons (perpetrators unknown), no mention has been made of America crossing said “Red Line” when dropping Napalm on women and children in Vietnam. Correct me if I’m wrong, but America, under President Reagan, made no comment when their ally, Saddam Hussein, used chemical weapons against the Iranians in 1988. A similar attitude prevailed when, a few years ago, Israel dropped white phosphorus on Palestinian civilians. It seems that double standards are at work here and that “outrage” at appalling acts of violence can be selective.

Whoever is to blame for these unspeakable crimes against humanity in Syria, outside intervention will not solve this problem, which is tribal and sectarian in nature. If Assad falls, someone equally brutal will probably replace him – Libya being a case in point.

Pam Haywood Allt-yr-yn Crescent Newport