Victor Davis Hanson fails to recognize the primary difference between Iraq and Afghanistan and the situation in Palestine (“Terrorists keep the chaos going in Gaza,” Sept. 23). He writes, “President Talabani and his Iraqi parliament, like President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan, are making progress as they fight the radical Islamic enemies of democracy and the rule of law. Mahmoud Abbas, in contrast, has not begun.” Perhaps it would be easier for Abbas start a battle against militants if he too had the American army to back him up.