Peace of Mind

Examining China ' s Growth
Kudos to Newsweek for being the first "in years" to interview the reticent Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao (" 'We Should Join Hands'," Oct. 6). Of the few loaded questions posed by Fareed Zakaria, the one that most captured my attention begins with the preface "Many people see China as a superpower." The prime minister, with characteristic candor and humility replied, "China is not a superpower" because of "millions of people living in poverty." It serves as a warning to Americans that if we don't solve "the current financial crisis" soon, a large number in the United States may be knocking at the doors of poorhouses, and that will pull us down from the status of being the world's superpower. Let us stop finger-pointing at nations like China when the worst human-rights violations have been committed by unregulated Wall Street moguls whose unrestrained greed has brought on us the current crisis.
Kangayam R. Rangaswamy
Waunakee, Wisconsin

I read Fareed Zakaria's interview with Wen Jiabao. How could he be satisfied with the Chinese prime minister's response that referred to the Dalai Lama's separatist activities and ask no follow-up question? As you pointed out, Wen invited Zakaria to interrupt him, and he did no such thing. Such an interview could well have appeared in a Chinese newspaper.
Huang Juei-min
Tai-chung, Taiwan

China greatly impressed the world in the superb arrangements for the Olympic and Paralympic Games ("Too Large to Grow So Fast," Oct. 6). But can it now rise to the challenges it faces in terms of sustainable energy production? With the world's fastest-growing economy, plus the largest population of any country on the planet, that will be far from easy. Seventy percent of China's growing energy needs are met by using coal. The disastrous effects on the air quality of the whole region, in addition to polluting China's land and rivers, are well known. With some 50 new coal mines opening annually, the Chinese government urgently needs to find viable alternative sources of energy. The industrial revolution, which China is still undergoing, is transforming the country. To a large extent, coal miners are paying the price of such rapid progress. The privately run mines of China are a byword for unsafe practices. The vast and windy highlands of Inner Mongolia and Tibet could surely have many wind-power generators installed, and the energy produced could be transferred from those underpopulated regions to others, where it is in high demand. Those heights could support solar-power plants, as well. Additionally, China's vast coastline could generate great amounts of wave-produced electricity. If such measures are introduced on a wide scale and swiftly (as is clearly necessary), then it is to be hoped that the present generation of Chinese coal miners—some 5 million—will be the last to have to undertake such dreadfully dangerous and underpaid work. The introduction of such measures would also help China escape from its unenviable position as the world's greatest producer of greenhouse gases. China awed the world with the Olympic Games. We must hope that similar levels of government energy and support can now be directed to these pressing, and much longer-lasting, challenges of clean and safe energy production.
Paul Surtees
Hong Kong

Polish President ' s Views of Russia
Polish President Lech Kaczynski is playing a dangerous game by making provocative statements about Russia ("How the West Got Georgia Wrong," Oct. 6). He seems to be under the impression that he can make anti-Russian statements with impunity and then hide behind the skirts of NATO. Eastern European nations who indulge in anti-Russian rhetoric should remember that Russia is almost paranoid concerning security issues and cannot help but feel threatened when countries—not only former Soviet satellites, but also former Soviet Republics—are clamoring for membership in the European Union and NATO. The installation of missile shields in countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, with historic feelings of enmity toward the Russians, leave the Russians feeling that such measures are aimed against them, despite assurances from the United States and NATO that they are intended to counter Middle Eastern countries that sponsor terrorism. NATO needs to display caution when offering the Membership Action Plan to diplomatically immature East European and former Soviet Republics. Ethnic, cultural, religious and political differences in this unstable region could easily draw NATO into a war for something as trivial as a minor border dispute. The Polish president is correct in saying that the international community needs to convince Russia that the imperial era is over. However, it would be more useful to fully engage with the Russians in consultations and dialogue on common problems in this highly volatile region than simply condemn them as the aggressors (such as in Georgia) and leave them isolated, alone and, most dangerously of all, insecure.
Peter E. Perkins
Randpark Ridge, South Africa

Mosquito-Borne Diseases
As stated clearly in your article ("On the Trail of a Ferocious Killer," Oct. 6), pursuing the goal of eradicating malaria by vaccines may be an expensive and interminable task. Perhaps it is more feasible to yet again tackle the disease vector—the mosquito—by diverting some of this effort toward the creation of genetically modified mosquitoes that have a reduced ability to infect humans. For example, if mosquitoes were unable to fly, it would be much easier to protect ourselves against highly localized, flightless, water-needing pests. Hence infection rates for all mosquito-borne diseases, not only malaria, would plummet and the ecosystem should, hopefully, be relatively unaffected.
Mark Tucker
Hailsham, England

State Schools in Sweden
A Reference is made in "Moving Beyond Mrs. Thatcher" (Oct. 6) to a recent Swedish reform providing state funding to independent schools and allowing parents to enroll children in such institutions. However, as long as there are only a handful of schools that are not state controlled, the vast majority of Swedish parents have no realistic option other than to continue sending their kids to state schools, where the standard of education often is inferior, discipline is nonexistent and teachers' qualifications are sometimes below acceptable levels.
Bo Dahlberg
Nairobi, Kenya