I would like to emphasise extreme caution in allowing our emotions to override us in this strange and uncertain times we are living in. I read with despair one reader's joy of the recent World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks not because of my love for the patriotism of the American people or because of my approval of the actions of the American government but because this is the exact emotion the American government wants one to feel.

When US President George W Bush first came into power the first thing he did was to bomb Iraq, following well in his fathers footsteps. He then managed to create a dispute between China and America and has continually tried to wage war somewhere in the world.

When I was studying A-level economics at The Leys School in Cambridge we were taught that when the country's economy crashes one must perform a great deed and that is to win a war; the only thing that brought the world out of the 1930s recession was World War II.

Two historical events may help one understand another possibility as to what happened in New York City on Sept 11. The first was during the reign of emperor Nero. A huge fire destroyed a large part of Rome and Emperor Nero blamed it on the Christians and used it to persecute them. This 'cause' helped the unpopular emperor consolidate his power and rally a patriotic Rome around him. Historians generally believe Nero started the fire himself for the above reasons.

The second historical event I would like to draw your attention to is the burning down of the Reichstag in the 1930s, (the Riechstag was the German building where the people's representatives met).

Hitler blamed it on the "communists among them" and used it to rally a patriotic Germany around him, consolidating his power to persecute his enemies. People generally agree that there is enough evidence to believe that the Nazis themselves set fire to the building for just this purpose.

As for the recent event in New York we can see similar patterns happening. Before the attacks, Bush's support was minimal and it is still questionable as to whether or not he did actually win the election. After the attacks, his support is phenomenal and there are already dangerous signs of a decrease in an individual's ability within the states to exercise freedom of speech or to speak out at all against the government without running the risk of sounding un-patriotic.

The reaction of many people around the world is running directly in line with a build-up to war rather than looking deeply into who would have the most to gain from such an event. They are pointing their finger at the American public who are generally unaware of their leader's intentions and by pointing the finger at them we stir a hatred which is the perfect breeding ground for catastrophic events such as World War II.

Let us not forget the history of the human race and fall into the same pattern of the path our ancestors took.