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Middle East Politics
Richard Stengel’s portrait of Benjamin Netanyahu is thought-provoking [“Bibi’s Choice,” May 28]. Yet since one of Netanyahu’s basic principles is to trust no one to speak truthfully, can we trust his word?
Carole C. Burnett,
Silver Spring, Md., U.S.

The underlying premise of Stengel’s piece is fatally flawed. If the Iranian regime continues pursuit of nuclear weapons, there will be war; if the Palestinians discontinue adamant rejection of any Middle Eastern sovereign Jewish state, there will be peace. There is very little that “King Bibi” can do to affect either move.
Richard D. Wilkins,
Syracuse, N.Y., U.S.

Netanyahu has said he is ready to start negotiations without any preconditions. But the Palestinians refuse. It is obvious they hope to achieve their objectives without having to make any concessions.
Dr. Jacob Amir,
Jerusalem

This article asks all the wrong questions: Will he make war? Can he make peace? The only real question is, When will at last the Arab and Muslim worlds be able to accept and live in peace with a sovereign Jewish state in their midst?
Moshe G. Katz,
Rishon Lezion, Israel

You let Netanyahu off far too easily. By trying to help the illegal Israeli settlements stay in the West Bank, he clearly has no interest in making peace with the Palestinians. It will take someone younger and less intransigent for progress to be made.
Alex Rychlewski,
Bordeaux, France

Baby Steps
Burma’s parliament appears practically superfluous [“Government for Beginners,” May 28]. With a great majority of parliamentary members from the military and junta-designated party, the nation is still far from democratic. Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party has a tough journey ahead; it will take her years to make any reform possible from within.
Titan Monn,
Bangkok

Generous Germany?
With pleasure I’ve read Fareed Zakaria’s “Time to say Danke” [May 28]. The Germans are often portrayed as narrow-minded and ungenerous, yet his observation that Germany is acting in the common European interest amid the euro-zone crisis puts us in the right light. I would like to say danke to Zakaria.
Uwe Heising,
Hattingen, Germany

There is no denying that Greece is, as Zakaria asserts, “guilty of mismanagement, poor competitiveness and financial fraud” and that it needs major restructuring. But since so much of its bailout money goes, with interest, back into the pockets of its benefactors and not into the real economy, I can also sympathize with those who say danke but nein danke.
Athanasios Hatzilakos,
Athens

This essay glosses over a number of inconvenient truths in its defense of Germany. Germany is not acting selflessly in trying to save the euro. Indeed, the drag on the currency by countries in Southern Europe is what has made German exports so competitive in recent years. One might argue that Germany is among the few nations that still overtly benefits from being in the currency at all.
Joseph Spencer,
Cairo

Hard Times in Spain
The article “The Vanguard of Disaster” describes pretty well the situation in Spain, and it will eventually apply to many other countries in the so-called first world [May 28]. Even today, nearly all Spaniards live well by global standards, but we still believe we deserve more, such as free medical service, free education and subsidized public transportation. We are pampered kids, and let’s hope that the present crisis, terrible as it is, will help us live more in accordance with what we have and what the rest of the world has.
Alvaro Azcarraga,
Madrid

What troubles me the most is how Spain’s current government is damaging public education. Reducing teacher’s salaries, expanding the number of students per class and raising university fees are condemning this country.
Maeva Bennetto,
Valencia, Spain

Parenting Debate
Your recent article on attachment parenting has provoked much discussion about breast-feeding [“The Man Who Remade Motherhood,” May 21]. Anthropological surveys across many cultures indicate that the mean age at weaning in our species is 2.5 to 3 years. Our unusually large brains require large amounts of omega-3 fats, and breast milk concentrates these fats from mothers’ bodily resources. Unfortunately, the omega-6-laden American diet deprives infants and children of the omega-3 fats needed for healthy brain development. Thus early weaning and bad diets are delivering a one-two punch to American kids.
Steven J.C. Gaulin, Professor of Anthropology, University of California at Santa Barbara, and Dr. William D. Lassek, Former Assistant Surgeon General