Sir, - The 20th century began with the Boer War; it now ends with the war in Chechnya. In between, we have hardly had a year without a war somewhere in the world. The two World Wars alone have cost the lives of almost 70 million people, most of them young men in their prime. Will we ever learn the insanity of war? - Yours, etc.,
Eamonn Ashe, Highfield, Drogheda, Co Louth.