American Moralism?
I was surprised by Michael Elliott’s article “What We Owe Them” (Special Report, June 21). Elliott takes on an extremely American moralistic tone with his view that “For two generations, West Europeans got fat and happy while their near neighbors in the communist half of the continent led stunted, fearful lives.” Also that we Europeans “should prepare to discharge a moral debt to [our] neighbors.” In this very assumption, shouldn’t we expect those Americans, who are also fat and rich, if not more so, to discharge their moral indebtedness to Latin America? I, like many Europeans, thank the United States for its leadership and for taking a risk in Kosovo. But Western Europeans are well aware that we all “live in a dangerous world.” I welcome the leaders of Europe’s intention to set up a new European defense initiative that will allow us to act in our own interest, free of the reliance on the muscle of the United States. Stephen P. Crouch Kashiwa, Japan
Do you really think we West Europeans need to be taught how to care for our poor neighbors? West Germany, for instance, helped East Germany–financially and otherwise–when problems arose there, as well as Croatia during its crisis. Italy has also rescued many Albanians over the last few years. The “rich” Western European countries are still suffering from the shock of World War II, and warmaking truly seems to us to be the most abominable instrument for gaining genuine peace. Philippa A. Durst Munich, Germany
The rest of the world is quite accustomed to Hollywood’s changing the course of history after any major event, for example America’s winning World War I and World War II singlehandedly. But Michael Elliott, in his anti-Western Europe article “What We Owe Them,” didn’t even let the dust settle. He states that “West Europeans are entitled to think that America’s way of waging war is ugly… yet the European method is even uglier… to talk, and talk, and talk to each other.” From this side of the Atlantic, it seems like while Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair was an early exponent of invasion (not talk), President Bill Clinton allowed his policies to be dictated by public opinion, not military advice. As more mass graves are discovered, Tony Blair may well be proved right. America’s way of waging war is political, not ugly. The ugliness appears when the history books are written. Neil Rushen Malmo, Sweden
I want to congratulate your magazine on a fair job in reporting the Kosovo conflict. I especially liked the article “Is It Payback Time?,” on the ethnic Serbian refugees–who are mostly as innocent as the Albanians we have seen leaving Kosovo during the last few months. But one side of the story is not told in this article: where do these refugees go? The answer is Vojvodina, which is the richest region of Yugoslavia and also the home of Yugoslavia’s ethnic Hungarian minority. This is not the first wave of Serbian refugees into this region, which was part of Hungary until 1920. The first Serbs came 500 years ago, fleeing the Turks; a huge wave came 300 years ago after a failed anti-Turkish uprising from Kosovo, and they also came after the fall of western Slavonia and Krajina in 1995. Attila Demko Budapest, Hungary
In your June 21 special report you analyze the lessons of Kosovo. Europe certainly ought to have learned the lessons of Kosovo, after failing to grasp, for more than 100 years, the reasons for the tensions in the Balkans. If Europe is ever to find a politically vital and dynamic identity, now is the time. Jurg P. Rosenbusch Basel, Switzerland
The western diplomacy in Kosovo is questionable. NATO’s airstrike policy can be compared to a heavy allopathic treatment. The virus might be killed, but you’re left totally exhausted. We should’ve found another way to tackle Milosevic’s dictatorship–which would not endanger the stability of the whole region for years to come. Pierre Tran Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, France
Can’t Please Everyone…
I read your June 21 article on how Guatemala’s Rigoberta Menchu is perceived at home as well as abroad seven years after she won the Nobel Peace Prize (“Trouble For Rigoberta,” World Affairs). I admire Menchu profoundly. She’s not a hero; she’s just a human being who unfortunately has suffered a lot. She’s trying to make a difference, but no matter how hard she tries, she can’t please everyone. The book “Rigoberta Menchu and the Story of All Poor Guatemalans,” written by anthropologist David Stoll, raises, as you said, “serious questions about parts of Menchu’s original autobiography.” Only reading the sarcastic title of the book gives me the creeps. Maricarmen Pasmans Sandoval St. Odilienberg, Netherlands
Having worked as an investigator for the U.N. Truth Commission in Guatemala, I was intrigued by your article about Rigoberta Menchu. You write that in the early 1980s, Menchu joined the Peasant Unity Committee, a political movement described as “once closely allied to one of the main revolutionary groups.” Later you state that a U.N.-sponsored truth-commission report gave her some vindication. What you fail to mention is that the “revolutionary group” in question was the Guerrilla Army of the Poor (EGP). According to the report, this group was responsible for 31 of the 32 massacres of civilians (mostly Mayan farmers) committed by the Guatemalan guerrillas. The Guatemalan government is clearly responsible for most of the atrocities that took place during the civil war, but this doesn’t vindicate the EGP, since it committed the same type of human-rights violations. Henrik Hovland Oslo, Norway
Russia as Great Power
I can only congratulate Bill Powell on his analysis of Russia’s role in the Kosovo conflict and the propaganda coup it landed when putting its troops into the Pristina airport (“So Who Needs Russia, Anyway?” World View, June 21). Right from the start of the campaign, it has become painfully obvious that Russia has not yet fully understood which way the world is going, and will be going, after the Iron Curtain has crumbled. Its main objective is still to play one of the first fiddles internationally, not getting its own house in order. While large parts of Russia’s population, notably pensioners in rural areas, are starving to death, the Kremlin takes the side of war criminals and murderers. Russia has to realize that for the time being, clearing up the mess inside the country is far more vital (and urgent) than pursuing a fading, nostalgic picture of Russia as a Great Power. Martin Hillebrand Warstein, Germany
George W. Bush Arrives
After witnessing one scandal after another in the Clinton administration and watching our statuelike vice president (Clinton’s chief defender) proclaim that “Clinton will go down in history as one of our great presidents,” the American people can’t wait to elect the dynamic, progressive and successful governor of Texas as our next president (“Here Comes the Son,” U.S. Affairs, June 21). They know that he will not only be a great president who will lead us into the 21st century but he will restore morality, honesty and dignity to the office of the president and the White House. David Richard Tyson Huntington, West Virginia
Young Bush has attained the nomination of the media as the Republican candidate before all the candidates have even thrown their hats into the overcrowded elephant cage. Have you picked “W” because he provides the best human-interest story? You ignore the strong field of other candidates, including John McCain and Dan Quayle. Bush has shown us nothing except his strikingly similar appearance to his father during a photo op. All his political involvement heretofore has been in local Texas government. Unlike the candidates who served in the Senate, he has no foreign-policy track record. George W. may in fact be the candidate I support when I pull the lever in my first chance to vote, but crowning him king so early undermines the primary system. David J. Weissmann Fair Lawn, New Jersey
I don’t know if it was jealousy or his loathing of Republicans that were the reasons behind it, but Howard Fineman’s interview with George W. Bush was rude, if not antagonistic. Three of the 11 questions press Bush, in an accusatory way, about his wealthy upbringing. Should Bush feel guilty about being born into an affluent family? I really do not think so. Maybe we are better off with wealthy politicians who hopefully will not be as susceptible to campaign contributions from questionable sources. Paul W. Murphy Whitestone, New York
Your story “Here Comes the Son” and all the pages given to Bush is about a year too soon. Let him campaign if he wishes, but one page would have been sufficient at this date. Don’t bore us yet, the year 2000 will be bad enough. It’s no wonder politics have become so expensive and boring. Stanley J. Walek New Smyrna Beach, Florida
If we lived in late-18th-century France or late-20th-century Russia, the George W. Bush phenomena would be called a counterrevolution, a wish to return to the ancient regime. But because we live in the late 20th century, perhaps sports and movie allusions would be more apt: Americans are playing down the clock on the Clinton administration. We’re tired of the scandals, the endless spin and stonewalling. We’re tired of the self-righteous indignation when caught in those lies. The Queen in the movie “A Bug’s Life” says it best. While reprimanding the circus troop, she says, “We’re going to pretend this never happened. You bugs were never here.” Lynda Lemmon Bath, Ohio
Soulless, Selfish Silicon Valley
My sincere thanks to David Kaplan for his examination of the Woodside, Calif. subculture (“Silicon Heaven,” Business, June 14). I’m the ex-wife of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, and Kaplan reminded me exactly why I fled the place in horror. He described it as sedate and rural. I describe it as utterly soulless, selfish and oblivious to the consequences of its conspicuous consumption. I moved to a place where money is something you have, not something you flaunt. We have the rich and superrich here, too, along with charity auctions, but the bids aren’t the size of the budget of a Third World country. And I think the balsamic vinegar down at the deli costs $5.95, not $1,500. V. K. Kelly Middleburg, Virginia
Mia Hamm: Superstar
It’s awesome the way Mia Hamm was profiled in your article “Keeping Her Own Score” (Society & The Arts, June 21). She is surely a genuine superstar, proved by her amazing abilities, attitude and motivations. Soccer has been a part of my life for 14 of my 19 years, and Mia has been my inspiration. NEWSWEEK, keep up the great work! Jane Curtis Lexington, Kentucky
The Kashmir Question
The problem in Kashmir stems from Indian occupation of that land, which is predominantly Muslim (“Terror Tactics High Over the Himalayas,” Asia, June 7). The basis of Subcontinent partition was that Muslim majority areas would become Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed to hold a plebiscite when India took the matter to the United Nations, but this is one of the many promises that have never been fulfilled. Now Kashmiris have risen to liberate their homeland from the occupants. Of course Pakistan should provide them with moral and political support. Khalid Javed Mississauga, Ontario
Correction
In a June 14 Periscope item, “Unto Us Too Much Sun Is Given,” we said that new FDA regulations covering sunscreen labeling would eliminate numerical SPF ratings. In fact, only values above 30 will be eliminated and consolidated under the term “30 plus.” Putting SPF ratings on product labels, currently voluntary for manufacturers, will become mandatory in May 2001.
A Perfect Marriage
I read your impressive article “The Science of a Good Marriage,” which portrayed John Gottman, a psychologist at the University of Washington, and his research on “the secrets of happy couples” (Society & The Arts, April 26). Couples in countries where traditional marriage is deeply rooted can definitely learn a lot from this article. Dawit Daniel Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Power of Religion
I want to express my condolences to Cassie Bernall, the Littleton, Colorado, victim who openly confessed to the atheist killers that she believed in God (“The Making of a Martyr,” Society & The Arts, June 14). I’m 18 and have no religion. However, I still believe in the power of religion, and Cassie’s story made me speechless. Khoo Ying Hooi Kapar, Malaysia
