No U.S. Decline, as Other Countries Boom

"The Post-American World": Responses to Fareed Zakaria 's book excerpt were heartening. One reader said, "Relax, we are not sinking, everyone else is rising. We shouldn't take that as a threat." Another wrote, "He speaks a truth that American politicians appear afraid to voice yet we need to hear." And one provided a historical perspective. "In a short 232 years, we have set the model for the world to follow. We have operated with such unprecedented success that other countries have set goals to emulate us. The world is catching up, but we will still lead it."

As the Rest of the World Rises
Thanks for the May 12 excerpt from Fareed Zakaria's book "The Post-American World." It's the most understandable thing I've read that puts globalization into perspective. Reading it was like going to the doctor with an undiagnosed ache, and having him tell you why you hurt and that you'll probably feel better in the morning. I'm going out now to buy the book.
David Lebo
New Cumberland, Pa.

As with most Americans, the daily news produces anxiety in my little world (multiplied by the fact that my only son flies a stratotanker for the Air Force in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan). Fareed Zakaria's columns are important in my life, and his words always ease my fears. His book excerpt finally provoked me to write. If only the next president would appoint Zakaria as secretary of State.
Karel Juhl Fulton
Pounding Mill, Va.

Fareed Zakaria's elitist construct of a new world order is a well-written exercise in obfuscation and leads to the following questions: What will the role of American workers be in this new order? Are they to compete for lower wages with indentured servants in the new emerging powers? Is the newfound prosperity in China, India, Brazil and the oil-producing countries going to the workers or the upper classes? Has this new wealth mitigated the hunger of millions of homeless orphans? Have the increments in GDP been matched with a comparable increase in workers' rights or human rights?
Virgil Blanco-Llage
Edison, N.J.

The Left Reconsiders Reagan
As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal democrat, I recoiled when I spotted the line "Why the Left Loves Reagan" along the top of your May 12 cover. After reading your article "The Left Starts to Rethink Reagan," I was somewhat relieved to note that Sean Wilentz's new book, "The Age of Reagan," merely—and correctly—acknowledges the optimism and the lasting consequences of the Reagan years. Still, for me there remains a massive gap between recognizing the impact of the Reagan revolution—out-of-control budget deficits, an unconscionable shift of wealth to the already affluent, the attempted subversion of the Constitution in the Iran-contra scandal—and any declaration of "love" for the man who oversaw such ruinous policies. In fact, was the Reagan presidency not the direct forerunner to our current administration, which persists in leading America down the very same disastrous paths?
Michael Resler
Brookline, Mass.

Clarification
A March 31 PERISCOPE item, "Too at Home in the Stacks," about public libraries' serving the homeless, included a photo of an unnamed man reading a magazine in a library. The pictured man was Gary Kallam of Boulder City, Nev.; the photo had originally been published in a January 2007 Las Vegas Sun article ("Homeless But Civic Minded") about Kallam's bid to become "presumably the first homeless mayor in the country." According to that article, the then candidate Kallam preferred the term "outdoorsman." By including the photo to illustrate the PERISCOPE item about homeless library patrons, we did not suggest or intend to suggest that the pictured man, Kallam, needed to use public libraries as a refuge or was personally involved in any incidents at libraries around the country discussed in the item. To the extent that any of our readers misunderstood the photo and caption to contain any such implications, we regret the misunderstanding.

© 2008