Thank you for your interesting report about the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall (“Behind the Wall’s Fall,” Europe, Nov. 8). The transcripts of phone conversations between former American president George Bush and former German chancellor Helmut Kohl underlined the personal friendship these two great leaders shared. But they also demonstrated the lasting support Germany obtained from the United States. The wall fell because America guaranteed the freedom and security of West Berlin, which had been an enclave deep in the German Democratic Republic for more than 40 years. The United States did not only help rebuild our country after World War II; it also stood with us throughout the cold war and was the first to support a reunification of East and West Germany. The wall fell because America never let us down. Neither Chancellor Kohl nor the German people will ever forget this. Matthias Koch Neustadt/Weinstr., Germany
Your report on why the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 was excellent. There were many players in this key part of world history, but it was definitely Ronald Reagan’s determination and Mikhail Gorbachev’s courage that brought about the wall’s collapse, German reunification and freedom for Eastern Europe. Without these two decent and honorable men, none of these events would have taken place–at least not peacefully. Dominic Shelmerdinev London, England
It’s hard to overestimate Gorbachev’s role in helping to bring about a peaceful revolution in the former East Germany. It appears that bloodshed on a massive scale, ordered by those still in power in the GDR, seemed only a matter of hours away. Without his prudent commitment, history might have taken another turn for the worse. Werner Radtke Paderborn, Germany
What are freedom of speech and freedom to go traveling without the freedom to get a job, earn enough money and have a decent standard of living? Looking for answers to these questions–and not finding them–explains why the Communist Party’s program is now getting almost 23 percent support in the Czech Republic. Ten years after the Velvet Revolution, it is the country’s most powerful party. Jaroslava Cardova Olomouc, Czech Republic
Thank you for your report about the end of Central Europe’s communist era, especially the article in which former Polish president Lech Walesa gives credit to Pope John Paul II (“Who Deserves the Credit?”). I am convinced that the pope was the man who–through his speeches, solidarity and social encyclicals about human rights and the value of life–influenced the changes in Europe over the last 18 years. I’ll never forget his speech during his first visit to Slovakia when he said: do not be afraid! Dalibor Kalna Ennis, Ireland
Your article “Who Deserves the Credit?” leaves the reader with an incomplete impression of how communism in Europe indeed came to an end 10 years ago. What is missing is a historical perspective, one that would show that the fall of the wall in 1989 was more the result of a long period of erosion than a sudden development. The article should have mentioned in particular the 1956 Hungarian revolt, which showed how much the will of the people can achieve overnight. It also showed how much the communist regime was dependent on oppression and the Soviet Army. The fact that the changes in 1989-90 were bloodless was, to an extent, thanks to the blood that was shed in the streets of Budapest in 1956. Balazs Hidveghi Strasbourg, France
Mexico: Choosing a Leader I want to congratulate Alan Zarembo for excellent research on the Mexican parties in his article on the Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party’s primary election (“The Party Goes On and On,” World Affairs, Nov. 8). I’m proud to say that President Ernesto Zedillo decided to let the PRI’s next presidential candidate be elected by the PRI members instead of doing the selection himself. I was also amazed that Zarembo mentioned Roberto Madrazo Pintado’s excessive political spending in his election campaign for governor of Tabasco in 1994. Mexico is changing for the better, and this is something that everyone must know. Bernardo Montemayor Villarrea Monterrey, Mexico
The PRI has good men and women. The philosophy of the party and some of its members, however, is to get rich by working for the government. What we need in Mexico is a leader who really cares about the Mexicans and the country–not only about himself or the party. I hope whoever we elect next year forgets about his party and personal interests and gets his government to work and generate results for us. After all, we, the Mexicans, are the ones who pay their salaries. Ricardo J. Guajardo Garza Garcia, Mexico
I agree that we’ve had a tyranny of the PRI in Mexico for 70 years. But you devoted 80 percent of your article to the PRI’s campaign and only 20 percent to the opposition–Cuauhtemoc Cardenas and Vicente Fox–who are really working hard for democracy in Mexico. Jose Antonio Morales Castro Seoul, South Korea
Hello Kitty Diplomacy As a Japanese, I was proud to read your report on how Asia loves Japan’s pop culture, especially since Japan has a long history of being criticized for mimicking business and for lacking originality and creativity (“Cute Power!” Society & the Arts, Nov. 8). However, I have mixed feelings about a whole generation’s going crazy about Hello Kitty and Pikachu. I think it indicates a lack of maturity; people merely want to escape, temporarily, the real world for a fantasy world. Hiroshi Harada Shimizu, Japan
You write that “Asia’s love affair with Japanese pop culture reflects a profound generational change.” It is so only because our parents–victims of Japanese torture, murder, rape and other atrocities–are forgiving and wise enough to let the past go, instead of harping on hatred and compensation. Agnes Sng Singapore
I’m glad to see that Japanese culture is getting so popular, especially in Asia. I hope Hello Kitty can be an ambassador who encourages ultimate reconciliation between the East Asian countries and Japan. I am concerned, however, with the fact that all of this is for children and teenagers only. We often say that Japan is a country that can’t develop any culture for adults. The phenomenon mentioned in this article may be exactly a reflection of this. Kenji Sasahara Tokushima, Japan
Hello Kitty and Pokemon should be charged with having inflicted horrendous amounts of useless plastic on an already harassed planet. Amrita Mishra New Delhi, India
I can just imagine how the Asians have gone gaga with the Japanese trends. Before I left my homeland, the Philippines, I was enjoying Japanese cartoons, and they sure were unique. I am kind of missing it all. Cris Rafael Silao Reykjavik, Iceland
Your report on young Japanese tourists in Australia (“That’s ‘Kawaii Five-0!’ Let’s Go Surfin’, Mate”) contained an error. Sydney is not the capital of Australia; Canberra is. Michael Woodhead Sydney, Australia
When Family Ties Turn Knotty As an orthodox Jewish American, I worry that people may form their opinions of Hasidic Jewry based on your excerpt from “Chosen by God: A Brother’s Journey” by Joshua Hammer (“A Tale of Two Brothers,” Society & the Arts, Nov. 8). In this era of anti-Semitism, we cannot afford to be misrepresented this way. It must be made clear that this story is not about Hasidim; rather, it is the story of a lost soul who has found some comfort living a very extreme lifestyle. Tuvia obviously takes pleasure in shocking his estranged brother, Joshua, by presenting his religious beliefs in a most extreme and caustic manner. This is certainly not a man who typifies the American Hasid. According to Proverbs 3:17, “The ways of the [Torah] are pleasant and all its paths are peace.” When Tuvia Hammer’s views and manner of communicating with his brother begin to reflect this verse, he will begin to achieve the inner peace he is so desperately seeking. Shabsai Horowitz Passaic, New Jersey
Until Joshua Hammer has walked a mile in his brother’s shoes, he has no right to point fingers and criticize a custom about which he obviously knows nothing. R. Diamond Johannesburg, South Africa
I wondered why my own experience with Orthodox Jews was so different from Joshua Hammer’s. As a Presbyterian minister from South Korea, I was an obvious outsider when I studied their community in Los Angeles for more than 10 years. While no group that I know of is entirely without its bigots and small minds, for the most part I was treated with respect and warmth, from which grew lasting friendships that I still cherish. My pastoral experience provided the answer to my question above. When people join a religious group, they do not leave their personalities at the door. Great teachings can turn ugly when they are interpreted by people with their own agendas. Joshua Hammer’s journey may have taken him more deeply into the mind of his brother than into the exotic–but generally principled and admirable–lifestyle of some genuinely good people. The Rev. Yong-Soo Hyun Los Angeles, California
The article “A Tale of Two Brothers” should have been entitled “Tall Tales of One Brother,” especially since it doesn’t provide any opportunity for Joshua Hammer’s brother to respond to or rebut the story. David Goldman New York, New York
Freedom in Hong Kong In your article “The Wages of Spin,” you referred to “Hong Kong’s top attorney Daniel Fung” being hired by “a think tank close to the Hong Kong government” and visiting Geneva “to defend the territory at a United Nations human-rights meeting.” You also stated that the Hong Kong government “is hiring new spin doctors like Fung to tell its side of the story” (Asia, Nov. 8). This is plainly untrue. According to our understanding, Fung visited Geneva as honorary legal adviser of the One Country Two Systems Research Institute. He did not represent the government. Your article also suggested that “the transfer of RTHK’s [public radio station] director of broadcasting, Cheung Man-yee, to a trade post in Tokyo” was a “sign of deference to Beijing.” This was, however, a normal civil-service appointment. The Hong Kong government is committed to upholding freedom of speech and freedom of the press. We pride ourselves on running a fair and impartial administration in Hong Kong, and will maintain an open and transparent government. Stephen Lam, Information Coordinator Chief Executive’s Office
Europe’s Drug Policies Thanks for running the articles by Pino Arlacchi (“The Case Against Legalization”) and Mat Southwell (“Human Rights for the World’s Drug Users,” Europe, Nov. 1). It’s clear to me that the drug war is a sham and will never achieve its goal of a drug-free world. At some point the drug warriors will realize this and come up with solutions like taxation and regulation. Andrew Smith Providence, Rhode Island
Thanks for printing Southwell’s article. Much of the world’s press is afraid of printing anything contrary to America’s war on drugs for fear of government retaliation. I commend you for your courage and ask that you continue to expose America’s failed drug policies and point to alternatives. Kim Hanna Framingham, Massachusetts
Arlacchi fails to convince me that current drug policies work. Bureaucrats will continue to support this debacle because doing so earns them money. If you want an honest answer about whether prohibition is a good thing, do some research and form an educated opinion. When enough voters know the truth, we’ll end this stupidity. Danny Terwey Santa Cruz, California
It’s important to recognize that Mat Southwell’s comments are written under the influence of drugs, which is good for him because then he can’t be held responsible for them–which in the end is the whole point, isn’t it, Southwell? Torbjorn Kvist Riga, Latvia
Arlacchi concedes that “crime rates would fall if illegal drug markets disappeared,” but counters, “big-time criminals would quickly regroup and find other sources of profits.” Is the perpetual war on drugs a make-work project for unimaginative crooks? If so, then the drug war has been a resounding success. In addition to making big-time criminals deliriously wealthy, it creates lucrative entry-level jobs for unskilled youth and keeps police officers, lawyers, judges, prison guards and Arlacchi gainfully employed. Matthew M. Elrod Victoria, Canada
While people on this planet go hungry and hardly have the barest necessities, Southwell has the nerve to complain about not being legally allowed to indulge in drugs, even going as far as calling it an infraction on his basic human rights. Seen in such a light, his attitude is selfish, and at their best one could consider his grievances no more than just a minor luxury problem. Andre Hofkens Antwerp, Belgium
No state has the right to punish its citizens for what they choose to ingest into their own bodies. Arlacchi’s article is just what the Colombian drug cartels ordered. Alan Randell Victoria, Canada
All these prohibitionists, every one trying like hell to protect his hindquarters. Medical use of marijuana is such a given fact that to hear or read the prohibitionists’ “thought police” arguments against it becomes the joke of the millennium. Richard Marchese Fairfield, New Jersey
A Creative Artist? So Puff Daddy is a rap superstar “consumed with making a smash hit” out of his latest album (“Puffy’s Crowded Orbit,” Business, Nov. 8). Well, if he continues to “borrow” from creators such as Sting (“Every Breath You Take”), Bruce Hornsby (“The Way It Is”) and Christopher Cross (“Sailing”), he’s a hack, not a creative artist. Chris Cohoon Tarnow, Poland
