PRIME Minister Blair and the rest of the European leaders immediately offered to stand shoulder to shoulder with America to fight against terrorism.

All the civilised world would agree with this, but dare I say that America's foreign policies over the years may well have had a great deal to do with this attack.

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that although the USA appreciated the support from European countries, it still reserved the right to act independently. This, to me, is the attitude that started the problems in the first place.

President Bush must be realising by now that America is no longer a fortress island and that an attack like this can be perpetrated at any time. Developing the 'Star Wars' umbrella may well protect the US from a nuclear attack, but it will not stop a person getting on a plane with a knife.

The only way to overcome such things is to understand that although America is the most powerful country in the world, it does not mean that it can abuse its power. It's no good being the biggest bully in the playground and expecting people to like you.

ROY DAVIES, Olive Lane, Darwen.