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- LETTERS, Page 16Gorbi-Mania
-
-
- Gorbi! Gorbi! Gorbi!" was the chorus of approval from people
- in the streets of West Germany (WORLD, June 26). We can only hope
- this chant was heard all the way to Washington. Perhaps it will
- persuade the Bush Administration to stop labeling Mikhail
- Gorbachev's proposals mere public relations and attempt to
- understand why he has won such phenomenal international respect.
- Gorbachev is urging that we confront the realities of our time with
- a new way of thinking and looking at the world.
-
- Douglas Mattern, Director
- World Citizen Diplomats
- Palo Alto, Calif.
-
- Perestroika and glasnost, the possible reduction of nuclear
- and conventional weapons, the uninhibited welcome that Gorbachev
- receives wherever he goes and the easing of state controls in East
- European countries are all positive signs and should be seen as
- contributions to reducing cold war tensions. Why, then, do I
- continue to have this feeling of unease and doubt? It was Lenin,
- I think, who said one must know how to retreat in order to achieve
- eventual victory. Who can blame people for believing they must view
- these changes with caution?
-
- R.T. John Parker
- Wellington, New Zealand
-
- In Europe we are aware of America's growing concern regarding
- West Germany's Gorbi-mania. But we have been thinking in terms of
- lining up with friend or foe for much too long. Imagine what the
- world would be like without having to face the threat of an
- East-West confrontation. For us, it would certainly mean being able
- to breathe easier. We still have a long way to go to achieve this
- goal, and we want the U.S. on our side. Turning toward one country
- because of its overtures does not mean we will be turning away from
- the other.
-
- Annette Schmitt
- Bretzenheim, West Germany
-
- We may be witnessing the last convulsions of a dying beast
- called Communism, but we are also facing exhaustion of our planet
- by the commercial exploitation called capitalism. Can it be that
- both systems are approaching the end of their natural life cycles?
- Are we experiencing the throes of begetting a new economic order
- in which the present political divisions will no longer be
- relevant? Judging from his overtures to Europe, Gorbachev seems to
- think so.
-
- Alex Philipse
- The Hague
-
- The Germans' love affair with Gorbachev and their "Gorbi!
- Gorbi! Gorbi!" are more readily understood when one considers that
- they are the descendants of those who shouted "Heil, Hitler!" They
- can't seem to recognize an enemy when they see one.
-
- K.L. Wilcox
- Waukesha, Wis.