I am simply baffled by John Teo's Chandra vs the evil US .

He begins by arguing that the US-led invasion of Iraq had done more good than bad. Teo may want to look at the study produced by the Washington-based Institute of Policy Studies which spells out in detail the cost of the war to the people of Iraq, the US and the world.

The study is the main article in International Movement for a Just World's (Just) July issue periodical. It will also be available on the Just website . Once he has digested its contents, he will be in a better position to distinguish right from wrong.

Teo is also utterly skeptical to say the least - of any suggestion that Washington (I seldom accuse the US - meaning by which the people of the United States of America as such - of being the culprit) seeks to achieve global hegemony.

Tell me, why would any power elite want to maintain military bases or perpetuate a military presence in 80 countries and embark upon a 'Total Spectrum Dominance' project if it did not aim to control and dominate the planet?

Isn't this the thinking behind Washington's National Security Strategy (NSS) plan enunciated in 2002? Was a top US official joking when he boasted that the superpower will establish the first truly global empire in history?

Finally, Teo has misunderstood my concern about the way the superpower exploits domestic issues in pursuit of its foreign policy agenda. Pakistan's foolish clandestine nuclear network provided Washington with the opportunity to exert greater pressure on Islamabad to act against so-called militants.

Every time Cairo detains some human rights dissident like Ezzaddin Ibrahim, it makes itself more vulnerable to Washington's political manipulations in the region. Of course, the moral of the story is one should not commit wrongdoings.

Both in its handling of the Anwar Ibrahim issue and in the arrest of the KMM activists under the ISA, the Malaysian government erred badly a point I have made on numerous occasions.

But what I find repugnant is the tendency among people trapped in a particular situation to beg Washington to rescue them. It is an affront to one's dignity and honour.

The writer is the president of Just.