Hail to the Chief?

Fareed Zakaria points out that U.S. foreign policy has shifted significantly in areas such as America's approach to China and Taiwan. Taiwan, with a new government formed in May, has shifted its tactics as well. President Ma Ying-jeou has proposed the idea of "flexible diplomacy," whereby a certain degree of mutual trust will be built up across the Taiwan Strait and later extended to the international arena. So far, Ma has delivered several substantial measures such as actualizing regular direct flights to and from mainland China, allowing the conversion of Chinese currency in Taiwan and advancing a diplomatic truce. Yet obviously, whether Ma is on the right track with his new thinking depends largely on Beijing. After all, it takes two to tango.
Ben Shao,
Director, Press Division Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
New York, New York

Why is NEWSWEEK attempting to put a last-minute spit shine on the legacy of the worst president in the nation's history? Do you really believe that a few hours spent playing patty-cake with Kim Jong Il and Vladimir Putin could redeem the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, or the destruction of America's esteem among other nations, or the creation of a deficit that will take generations to resolve or, above all, the rape of our Constitution and our civil liberties?
Edward Fagen
Middlebury, Vermont

While Bush has made mistakes, his good decisions deserve more credit than most Americans give him. Bush was right when he began to rid our society of infanticide by signing the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. He can also be credited with cutting income taxes, ridding us of the ridiculous marriage penalty and giving seniors better prescription-drug benefits. And in the debates of 2000, he called for more oil drilling in our own country, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Steve James
Camillus, New York

Is Bush allowing himself to be influenced by the views of his cabinet, Congress and the rest of the planet? Has he learned from those with greater understanding that arrogance and bluster are insufficient as a foreign policy? Has he realized he can't really see into the soul of a world-class adversary and that simplistic gut feelings, intuition and muscle pale in the face of the immense complexities of world leadership? Have his far-too-recent changes in policy been inspired by an enlightened world view and concern for humanity, or are they a pathetic attempt to salvage his legacy? January can't come soon enough.
John Thomsen
Los Gatos, California

Berlusconi ' s New Term
What do you mean by the Aug. 18/ Aug. 25 headline "Miracle in 100 Days"? There is no miracle. Silvio Berlusconi has done little for Italy. He has only passed laws to protect himself and his multimillion-dollar media empire. No democratic country should ever have such a person as their leader. Berlusconi won his landslide victory because he controls so many information outlets—state television and three other networks. One of the first things he did when he came into office was to quickly push through a bill that made him immune from prosecution; he nevertheless remains accused of fraud, bribery and corruption. In the interim, hundreds of immigrants continue to pour into the country. They are taken in by the Italian Coast Guard, clothed and fed, and most remain here with no job prospects or housing. As a result, crime continues to soar. Furthermore, Italians face economic difficulty with their meager salaries and uncertain jobs while our members of Parliament are the highest paid in Europe. How can NEWSWEEK fail to see and reflect upon the malignant influence Berlusconi has on Italian democracy? He represents the most serious threat to democracy in Western Europe since 1945.
Gillian Edwards Casini
Rome, Italy

I found the title of Jacopo Barigazzi's article "Miracle in 100 Days" on Silvio Berlusconi's new term misleading. The bill for officeholders' immunity is outrageous since Italy's prime minister has been involved in many criminal proceedings. Sending troops throughout Italy to harass immigrants and small criminals (while the mafia and the Camorra still thrive) is embarrassing. It is no surprise that he has a high approval rating, since he controls so much of the media. The result of Berlusconi's 100-day miracle is that Italy has a worse economy; no prospects for raising economic growth, wages and welfare; and has spiraled into fear and racism.
Massimiliano Ruggeri
Rome, Italy