In your Special Report you state that “with just 18 months left to shape his legacy, we are about to discover what Clinton is made of.” But he’s not about to develop the character and competence he needs to fix the problems he has created. Clinton’s legacy has already been written. He made a hash of our foreign policy and national security and left it to others to pay the price. Bob Bridges Los Angeles, California
I hope it was a regrettable mistake in the choice of words rather than a planned attack on someone when Michael Elliott, in his article on recent steps in power politics, called it a “lousy idea” to bomb the Chinese Embassy [in Belgrade]. Unless you present some evidence to the contrary, I’m willing to accept the administration’s explanation of a mistake in locating targets rather than the implementation of an incomprehensible idea. Mario Iona Denver, Colorado
I was astonished by ambassador James Sasser’s account of the siege of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing after the bombing of the Chinese Embassy (“The Siege From Inside”). He writes: “It was anything goes. Rocks, Molotov cocktails, paint. The first night I tried to sleep, but all I could hear was the sound of rocks hitting the embassy. I was up all night.” In the light of the deaths in the Chinese Embassy, as well as the fact that his own country is the driving force behind the bombing campaign, what did he expect from those on the street? Flowers? Sasser, please translate rocks into cluster bombs, Molotov cocktails into cruise missiles, paint into blood and all night into dozens of nights, and you will be able to imagine what being under the siege from outside under NATO’s bombs really means to ordinary Yugoslav families, who can’t just make a phone call and ask for more protection. Waldemar Lewicki Zielona Gora, Poland
The Kosovar Rape Victims
Thanks for the article “Rape and Aftermath,” which shows the world the plight of the Kosovar rape victims (Special Report, May 24). Do the people sitting comfortably in the Vatican know what a rape victim has to go through, carrying the indelible marks of the atrocity for nine months in her womb and then forever afterward? I applaud the efforts of all the organizations, including the United Nations, which are helping these victims cope with the immense tragedy. Naeem Ur Rashid Daharki, Pakistan
Isn’t the humiliation of being raped by the enemy enough for these Kosovar women? Do they also have to be condemned by people who have not suffered the war, desperation and exile they have? At a time like this, these women need the right to choose what they believe is best. Natalia Carolina Sauer Buenos Aires, Argentina
Who has more right to decide the number of children a woman should bear, and under what circumstances? The man who rapes her? The man who orders the rape? The man who sits on his chair in Rome? Or the woman herself? Mindy Roseman New York, New York
Is there no other way to help these poor, innocent, heroic victims of rape than to force them to get rid of the new lives they carry? During the war in Bangladesh in the 1970s, Mother Teresa managed to provoke a national debate resulting in the prime minister’s solemnly declaring the victims to be heroines of the nation and calling it a patriotic duty to marry them. For those still without husbands, Mother Teresa opened homes and orphanages. Can’t anything similar be done for the Kosovar rape victims? Marie-Christine Lambert Cologny, Switzerland
I’m shocked by the Roman Catholic Church’s insistence that the Kosovar rape victims should not abort. In fact, the pope’s silence concerning the Serbian assault on the Kosovars is surprising. It is similar to the Catholic Church’s silence about the German assault on the Jews during World War II. The Vatican has lost a historic opportunity to gain good will among people around the world at the start of the new millennium. Asad Rehman Lahore, Pakistan
Untouched by Globalization?
In your interview with Jimmy Carter, he understates the case against globalization (“Bridging the Gaps,” Special Report, May 24). If average people in countries like Liberia and Sierra Leone were “totally untouched by globalization,” they would be better off than they are. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening because globalization has pushed local products off the market and created unemployment. Village products are replaced by purchased products, pushing people who have no means by which they can earn cash into a cash economy. Brian MacGarry Harare, Zimbabwe
Great-Power Struggle
In your article “A World of Trouble,” you state that “suddenly, the world looks like a troubled, dangerous place again” (Special Report, May 24). But who did ever declare it safe? Perhaps the media, which during the 1992 presidential election in the United States fell in love with Clinton’s “It’s the economy, stupid” platform and generally ignored foreign policy. President George Bush was derided for being too preoccupied with foreign affairs, and basically a perception of a stable new world was foolishly taken for granted. Seven years later, while most of us have grown complacent as long as the Dow continues to reward us, the reality is suddenly settling in: in an increasingly unstable world, the United States’ national security has unfortunately not fared so well. Perhaps we are belatedly becoming painfully aware of the fact that “foreign policy and national security were equally important, stupid.” Jim Eyerdom Medina, Ohio
Foreign in the Middle Kingdom
Jonathan Spence gives a biased account of the antiforeign movements in China’s recent history (“Protocols of Public Rage,” World View, May 24). The Opium Wars, and the subsequent confrontations between China and Western powers, occurred not because of the inability of the Chinese to accept foreigners but because the West saw in China a resource-rich country ready to be exploited economically. This caused chaos and colonialism: consider such examples as the Amur region in eastern Russia, Macau, Hong Kong. Every history-conscious Chinese will remember how the West and Japan carved China up like a pie. The Chinese may be culturally arrogant, but xenophobia is not their trademark. Kok Yeong Haur Singapore
The British came to China to plunder and trade silk and fine porcelain for opium. They did so despite Chinese officials’ pleas to stop the trade, which caused the Chinese horrible suffering. The French seized huge chunks of Shanghai for their business ventures. The Japanese rewrote history regarding the 1937 Nanking slaughter, in which 200,000 Chinese died. No wonder the Chinese are still suspicious of foreigners. When did we treat the Chinese decently? There has never been a recognition of–or an apology for–such wrongdoing. Sylvia L. Severi Beijing, China
Jonathan Spence forgot to mention one cause for the periodic outbursts in China toward foreigners: the plundering of China’s wealth by Western powers. In 1860 Lord Elgin–whose father had stolen the Elgin marbles in Greece–not only burned the imperial summer palace to the ground, he also plundered it for its treasures. One of these, presented to Queen Victoria, was a Pekingese dog. Aptly named Looty, this dog was to start the craze for the species in Britain and subsequently in the West in general. A. R. T. Kemasang London, England
The Gores Get Going
In response to your article “Al Gore’s Best Hope,” I’m ready for a boring, down-to-business president (U.S. Affairs, May 24). I don’t care if he has little humor or lacks charisma. He is not there to entertain us. We have a president now who can literally “charm the pants off” some people. We need a leader, not an entertainer. Lynn D. Kingston Marietta, Georgia
Al Gore is 100 percent right: the American public does not know him. Which is to say he has played the role of vice president perfectly and has not tried to upstage the president. But the time has come for Gore to define himself. The president for the new millennium must have a fresh, new vision. Al Gore’s high-tech and environmental interests are the perfect balance for a future America. There is also support to be won from conservative Republicans once they realize that Gore holds strong family values and that God is an environmentalist. Presidential candidate Gore must stick to his principles, keep them simple and clear and always speak from the heart. Robert Munro Vancouver, British Columbia
There was a sense that ran through your article on Tipper Gore that her reaction to the near death of her young son, labeled, it seemed by everyone, depression, was somehow shameful (“Tipper Steps Out”). There is nothing shameful about being shattered by the near loss of a young child. To suggest, as I believe your article does, that Tipper’s getting help represents weakness rather than strength and that this supposed weakness may re-emerge under the pressure of her husband’s uphill political battle is the madness of the media looking for soap-opera drama. Peter Fleming London, England
A New Beginning for Nigeria
Your article “Starting Over Again” vividly describes the expectations of average Nigerians and why we’ve been looking forward to the Inauguration Day of our first freely elected president in 16 years (World Affairs, May 24). We have gone through decades of deprivation and misrule. President Olusegun Obasanjo faces a big task in putting things right in this country. He has said that we should not expect any miracles from him or his incoming government. Unfortunately, what we desire now in Nigeria is nothing short of a miracle. Laja Deji-Fowokan Lagos, Nigeria
More than half of Nigeria’s young men, our best talents, have left the country. We need to get our act together. I pray that Obasanjo has the will to tackle the obvious problem of corruption–and the wisdom to go about it. The name Obasanjo means “the king pays us back for our losses over the years.” We’re hoping this will come true. Fagbohun Wole Lagos, Nigeria
A Finnish Technology Tale
There is a connection between Finland’s “overnight success” as an information society–as outlined in your article “The Future Is Finnish”–and the Finns’ traditional thirst for knowledge (Society & the Arts, May 24). Finland’s ancient national “Kalevala” epic says that the word is mightier than the sword. Statistics on cultural participation show Finland as a world leader in reading books and newspapers and visiting museums and theaters. Yet I find it hard to share your optimism for Finland’s future. The Finns are too modest and too honest (a study conducted by Transparency International found Finland to be the world’s second least corrupt country) to hold their lead in what is regrettably becoming an e-hyped world. Ilmari Pietarinen Budapest, Hungary
We in data fellows were delighted to find that you had taken up our company in your May 24 issue. However, we would like to correct two things. Our sales in 1998 were in excess of $20 million, and we expect a much stronger growth this year. Also, there is a stock-option program for all of our staff, even though the company is still private. Risto Siilasmaa, President and CEO Data Fellows Espoo, Finland
Nokia must have loved your article about Finland, but are you aware that there are losers in this game, too? I live in Sweden–a country that has almost as many mobile phones as Finland–and I see the mobile-phone owners’ lack of consideration. If I do not want to listen to other people’s annoying phone calls at every hour, what can I do? I told a woman in a train to please stop disturbing us passengers with her business calls. “It’s a free country,” she replied. Not for us who do not enjoy life in the global telephone booth. Not even in the theater or in church can you find sanctuary from the ringing of telephones. With all these phones, people are less and less talking to each other, and more and more talking to somebody who isn’t there. Nokia is not only connecting, but also disconnecting, people. Ladislaus Horatius Vadstena, Sweden
Contrary to your assertion in your article, Finnish is related to “neighboring tongues”: in the north, the Saami people speak varying forms of a language related to Finnish, and in the south, Estonian is closely related to Finnish. Serafin Korczak-Michalewski Warszawa, Poland
Finally Finland has been noticed. In the 15 years I have lived here, I have developed a respect for a culture that too often has been overshadowed by its more gregarious neighbors. The Finns are not socialists, but there is an understanding that for a small country with practically no resources to be competitive, it has to maximize the competitiveness of the entire society. That means providing a good basic free education, adequate health care and social security to everyone. It also means accepting a progressive taxation system that evens out income polarization to some extent. Keith Silverang Espoo, finland
Farewell, Meg
I am deeply saddened by the death of your columnist Meg Greenfield (“Meg’s Potent Measuredness,” Society & the Arts, May 24). I always looked forward eagerly to her contributions to NEWSWEEK. I found her take on current events to be both witty and informative. I can’t imagine finishing future issues of your magazine without the benefit of her truly unique perspective. It is a great loss to journalism, NEWSWEEK and all of her readers. Julie Struble Springfield, Illinois
Meg Greenfield was one of the joys of your magazine. She was wise, witty, illuminating and profound. With her ability to unravel the machinations and pettiness of politics and sound the drum for integrity and truth, she was admired across the world. She will be sorely missed. Jenny G. Cullen Sydney, Australia
Thanks for all those years of Meg Greenfield’s refreshingly honest writing. Whenever an issue was truly confusing, Meg seemed to know what it was really all about. And the more I learned about an issue, and about people, the more right she seemed. Richard Harris
May I congratulate NEWSWEEK on a most interesting and touching write-up on Meg Greenfield. George F. Will’s summary made me feel as though I had lost a friend. Saman Yazdani Khan Lahore, Pakistan
What a beautiful perspective and glowing tribute to Meg Greenfield. I always looked forward to her contributions in NEWSWEEK and will miss her very much. Dorthea W. Wellman Wimberley, Texas
