No excuse for aggression

David Miliband advocates that the UK should foster democracy around the world, using military force against countries which refuse to co-operate (your report, 13 February). In other words, do what the West tells you, or we will attack and invade your country.

This is precisely the same flawed reasoning used by Stalin to justify his efforts to spread communism; 50 million innocent people died in the ensuing bloodbaths. Adolf Hitler, desperate to promote his own ideology of National Socialism, went down the same path; at a conservative estimate, his crusade killed around 25 million innocent people. Already, Mr Miliband – with Gordon Brown and Tony Blair – is responsible for the deaths of more than 100,000 Iraqi citizens, with around 50,000 slaughtered so far in Afghanistan.

ALAN GRANT, Glenluiart House, Moniaive, Dumfries & Galloway