History has proven that appeasement never works. Ralph Peters explains why liberals can never accept this basic truth (“Afghan Follies,” Nov. 13).

Naiveté and fear, along with a culture that insulates the Washington elites from the harsh realities of life, produce the belief that we can talk our way out of any problem.

George Santayana once said that those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. History demonstrates that appeasement in the form of talking to the fanatics is suicidal.

Steve Heitner,
Port Jefferson Station