Jonathan Cook's opinion article Egypt and Israel's armies will only grow more powerful (February 22) analysed the consequences of the change of regime in Egypt. Not to state the obvious, but neither side really has any motivation for starting or engaging in a brutal war. Why would either side want a war? Land grab? Bravado? To settle old scores? None of these reasons make any sense whatsoever. Would Egypt want a war with Israel or to attack Israel? Let's see: Israel has more nukes than you can shake a stick at. Egypt has none.
Israel has the unconditional backing of the world's superpower who would provide it with the highest tech weapons possible, satellite info, phosphorus bombs, bunker-buster technology bombs, cluster bombs and every other imaginable weapon of mass destruction. Egypt has no such support.
Abramcos Abraham, Abu Dhabi
"Truth" is a word that too often is only seen through a premise: if the premise is viewed as correct, then statements based on that premise will logically follow. If the premise is that the very presence and existence of Israel is wrong, then any and everything it does or will do is automatically wrong and evil.
Norm Lipson, Australia
Don't just blame the cook
The article Restaurant staff accused in death (February 22) reported that a diner at a hotel restaurant died after eating seafood and duck liver. Both the victim and his fiance had the same meal but only he became sick and died. I cannot understand why this is the chef's fault.
Lizzie Engish, Abu Dhabi
View of a climate change recanter
I refer to The human cost of climate change must be calculated (February 23), an opinion article by Dr I-Tsung Tsai of the Masdar Institute. Climate change is for the gullible and we former believers now clearly see that "crisis", "catastrophic" and "unstoppable warming" were death threats for climate cowards.
It was an embarrassing era of environmentalism and I wish I could take back the times I told young people that they will die on a dying planet from carbon dioxide. If any of you stay-behind believers and faded "worst case scenario" profiteering scientists had any bravery at all, you would call climate change what it was supposed to be: death. Not unpleasant weather.
History is not going to be kind to our doomsday science and modern day witch burners. Even the US president Barack Obama himself bailed on the "crisis" in his State of the Union speech.
Add to that, the Republican majority just voted to pull all funding from the American Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Failed calls for crisis always backfire. A wave of former believer rage has arrived and I dare anyone to say unstoppable warming is absolutely true. It's no different from any old doomsayer standing by the side of the road holding a sign with "The End is Near" scribbled on it.
Journalists and news editors who covered the climate change mistake for the last two and a half decades of needless panic, have done a disservice to science and journalism.
M Mine, US
Suggestions for real estate sector
In reference to Office capacity on the rise in Abu Dhabi (February 15), my idea on this issue is that while Abu Dhabi has continued to build apartments and high rises, it does not have the laws and regulations in place to protect tenants and landlords.
This is largely responsible for a depression in property rates and the massive losses announced by Aldar. Therefore, I would suggest a property visa for properties above Dh1.5 to 2 million. This would automatically lift prices up and give a sense of security to buyers.
Secondly, lower finance rates to benefit prospective buyers who by not defaulting will reduce the bad debts of banks.
Thirdly, ensure that all housing allowances paid by any government company is not a cash allowance and the allowance must be used within Abu Dhabi, either to rent or to buy. Not sending the money back to the homeland and buying property there.
Companies doing business and profiting in Abu Dhabi have a civic duty and corporate responsibility to pump back money into the economy.
Hormaz Dastoor, Abu Dhabi
Boon for wealthy property owners
I refer to the business article Businesses told to stop using villas (February 18). Wealthy commercial property owners are struggling to rent overpriced spaces that will undoubtedly get more expensive soon. Suddenly, these regulations give them a helping hand just when so much new space is coming available.
Donald Glass, Abu Dhabi