Time - International (2019-12-02)

2 Time December 2–9, 2019

THE WALL, TORN DOWN

Re “in 1989, The WoRld

Chose Peace” [Nov. 11]: The

true desire for arms reduc-

tion and world peace that

Ronald Reagan and Mikhail

Gorbachev showed in the

1980s has always struck me as

one of the most inspiring ef-

forts of bilateral diplomacy.

With the Kremlin hoping that

Trump would favor a more

pro- Russian foreign policy, its

interference in the 2016 U.S.

election seems reasonable and

even somewhat logical. But

Trump failed many of us, and

he must have disappointed

Putin too. Let us hope that

in 2020, Americans choose a

new leader who resumes dia-

logue and recognizes Russia

before it spins out of control,

as Gorbachev wrote, “for the

sake of the future.”

Cathrine Lagerberg,

oslo

GoRbachev comes acRoss

as compassionate and cred-

its the Russian people for

understanding that Ger-

many had changed. What he

doesn’t explain is why Russia

allowed such a repressive re-

gime in East Germany. He is

given credit for fixing a prob-

lem that Russia created.

Maurice Elliott,

GeRmanToWn, Tenn.

GIULIANI OUT FRONT

Re “Rudy cashes in”

[Nov. 11]: Before your story

on Rudy Giuliani, I thought it

was horrifying that we were

being ruled (in the most pe-

jorative sense of that word)

by a narcissistic megaloma-

niac with disdain for the U.S.’s

democratic principles and

moral codes. Now I’ve come

to learn that we have two

people like that feeding off of

each other and egging each

other on. I may not sleep well

again for a very long time!

Eugene Ely,

san Jose, calif.

on 9/11, mayoR Giuliani

was coming up with solutions

for a city in peril. Charging

up and down the streets with

a face mask on, he gave New

Yorkers and Americans hope

that someone was in charge

and that things would be all

right. By choice, he has seen

things most people have not

and has been to places most

people would not choose to

go to. This gives him a keen

insight into current prob-

lems. News coverage should

reflect his depth and abilities

with more appreciation.

Bart Deems,

columbus, ohio

REFLECTED ON STAGE

Thanks foR youR “8 Ques-

tions” [Nov. 11] with the play-

wright David Henry Hwang.

I grew up as a Eurasian kid in

small-town America in the

1960s. Kids taunted me with

racist comments and ges-

tures. I was so shy that I told

no one of my pain of attend-

ing social events. Once in a

Chinese restaurant, a waiter

looked at me and laughed,

saying I wasn’t Chinese. I felt

like I had no country. Then

I discovered Hwang’s plays

when I was a student at NYU.

I was so proud of this man

who was so gifted in the art of

playwriting while describing

the Asian experience in the

U.S. Hwang is one of my he-

roes. He is an American who

loves his country but proudly

embraces his ethnicity.

Joan Loo Dorfman,

RockaWay, n.J.

CATALONIA QUARREL

Re “deaR spain, leT’s Talk

About Catalonia’s Future”

[Nov. 4]: Rather than intro-

ducing Carles Puigdemont

as “a former president of

Catalonia’s regional govern-

ment,” you might have added

that he fled from justice after

holding a sham referendum.

His colorful career included

a declaration of Catalan in-

dependence from Spain

contrary to the terms of the

constitution, and now a pe-

riod of residence in Waterloo,

where another singular figure

came to grief two centuries

ago. Puigdemont claims that

“reaching compromises is

completely alien to Spanish

political culture,” yet Spain’s

peaceful evolution from dic-

tatorship to democracy in

the 1970s was the result of

exemplary compromise be-

tween opinions ranging from

former supporters of Gen-

eral Franco to Socialists and

Communists. It was against

this constitution and the legal

framework derived from it

that Puigdemont organized

his revolt before fleeing, leav-

ing his collaborators to face

the legal consequences. No

meaningful discussion is pos-

sible with such a person.

Mervyn Samuel,

madRid

Conversation

Letters should include the writer’s full name, address and home telephone and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space

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