Thursday, October 16, 2008

Thank you to Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz for their Oct. 8 column acknowledging that "the West has not always been sensitive to how the world looks from Moscow." It is refreshing to hear a position based on historical perspective rather than culture-of-fear rhetoric.

In an age of increasing interconnectedness, isolating Russia or anyone else seems acutely misguided. Actions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia shouldn't be removed from the context of perceived U.S. aggression in the case of Kosovo independence or anti-ballistic missiles in Central Europe. The Georgian issue is overshadowed by the economic crisis, but I hope it's not forgotten.

The Oct. 10 front-page story " 'Nordic Tiger' Iceland Finds Itself in Meltdown" noted that Russia may be giving out emergency loans to a collapsing Iceland, whose savings were "wiped out . . . by uncontrollable events thousands of miles away." During a global financial crisis and wars that continue after they've "ended," the United States would do well to more carefully consider its image and actions abroad.

If we're learning anything during this crisis, it's that the United States is far from infallible and that the futures of all nations are intertwined.

ANGELICA DAS

Washington