AS the world recoils in horror at the tragedy of many thousands of innocent people losing their lives, let us take stock and consider how we arrived at this terrible event.

The date, September 11, is now indelibly etched in the minds of all United States citizens, but a few thousands miles south on the American continent the date, September 11, has an all-too-different, but equally chilling, significance. On that date in 1973 Chile's democratically-elected government was brutally ousted from power by a military coup spearheaded by General Pinochet.

The coup was orchestrated by the American CIA because they felt Chile's government not to be sympathetic to the significant US business interests there at that time.

What ensued was one of the most brutal and bloody military coups the world has ever seen, without thousands murdered or 'missing.' This kind of interference has been common policy, as the United States has sought to destabilise and undermine sovereign states which who have not been disposed to "wholesome Americanism."

In East Timor, the human cost has been considerably greater, but once again it is another example of a US foreign policy which is neither civilised nor democratic. Since Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975, 200,000 East Timorese have been killed by the Indonesian military or have fallen victim to starvation and disease. That's a third of the total population.

During this period, the Indonesian regime received over one billion dollars-worth of weaponry and millions more in military aid and training from the United States.

While Iraq felt the full wrath of the western military machine for its invasion of Kuwait, Israel has committed gross human rights violations and has invaded its neighbouring countries at will without any such reprisals.

"Throughout the world, on any given day, a man, woman, or child is likely to be displaced, tortured, killed, or 'disappear,' at the hands of governments or armed political groups. More often than not, the United States shares the blame," Amnesty International said in 1996. Sadly, it seems the main wisdom behind United States' foreign policy continues to be the dollar sign. As a result of a long period of hypocritical and pernicious US foreign policies, the only thing that is surprising about the recent tragic events is that it didn't happen sooner.

Being the only remaining superpower the United States has a responsibility to its own citizens and the rest of the world to set a good example. If it chooses to ignore its responsibilities, then acts like the ones we witnessed on September 11 are likely to become an all-too-frequent occurrence.

So when President Bush, Colin Powell and others declare retribution in the name of "freedom," "democracy" and the "civilised world," ask yourself exactly whose freedom and democracy are they referring to? Is it that of most ordinary people who are sickened by all acts of barbarism and injustice throughout the world, or is it the freedom of a select minority to profit at the expense of human suffering and injustice?

S BUTLER, Haston Lee Avenue, Blackburn.