Decoding Putin

Decoding Putin
Re “The World According to Putin” [Sept. 16]: “He’s not quite Stalin yet, but he’s getting there.” Here in Bulgaria we are feeling that he’s getting there more and more every month, and it is quite upsetting. I would like to explain that the “Slavic world” does not exist, because there is no one “Slavic nation” — it is a complete Russian propaganda cliché.
Todor Todorov,
Sofia, Bulgaria

The rise of ultra-nationalism in Russian politics bears a striking resemblance to the chauvinistic sentiment being expressed by politicians in Japan. Both nations struggle with the legacy of their controversial pasts, namely the communist regime of the former Soviet Union and the wartime aggression of imperial Japan. Politicians in both nations are gleaning political capital from the glorification of their dark histories.
Nicholas Raphael,
Sydney

Solving Syria
Re “All Together Now” [Sept. 16]: To corner the leader of a country worsens an already tragic situation. Red lines may be drawn when the results of military actions are positive and certain. Are they? No, but choosing inaction will reduce the credibility and influence of the U.S. The grim choice, however fraught with danger and ambiguity, is the right one.
Michael Driver,
Ichihara, Japan

Final Frontier
Re “Under a Chinese Moon” [Sept. 16]: I reckon Jeffrey Kluger may have missed an important point. Indeed, China is launching an unmanned spacecraft to the moon, repeating what the U.S. has done several times before. The crucial part lies in China’s persistence to prove to the world that it is capable of accomplishing the feat by itself, with new technology of its own. It is ready to send astronauts to land on the moon, fulfilling the age-old legend of Chang’e flying to the moon.
Chaan Munn-Zie,
Hong Kong

Kluger’s comment that it was a “messy participatory democracy” that got the first humans to the moon may contain the spark that gets Americans back there again. Commercial space ventures like SpaceX and Blue Origin are well-resourced companies that could participate in future NASA crewed missions. Kluger remarks that we send people to space for the same reason we dance or sing, and I believe a number of the men who started these commercial space ventures did so thinking less of the bottom line and more of the joy and wonder of seeing humans stand on a world that isn’t ours.
Andy O’Donoghue,
Blackrock, Ireland

No-Kid Living
Re “None Is Enough” [Sept. 16]: I couldn’t help but wince while reading arguments against having children based on not wanting to “own” a child or make life complicated and spoil careers, holidays and carefree lifestyles. I wonder if these women are really happy with the choice they have made and if they’ve ever asked themselves where they would be if their own moms had made that same choice.
Gianna Stefanutto,
Munich

I fail to understand that countries will suffer economically if the birth rate drops, when unemployment stands as high as 45% in some countries, my own included. If education and qualification levels were what they should be, there should always be enough capable people in the workforce.
Lyn Daly,
Cape Town

Obama’s Foreign Policy
Re “Across the Red Line” [Sept. 9]: Shouldn’t the U.S. consider taking a sabbatical from handling world affairs beyond its shores for a while to get a moral-high-ground perspective on what best to do next?
Syed M. Hussain,
Harrow, England

President Obama’s hesitancy over Syria and his referral to congressional approval may turn out to be vindicated. However, one is inevitably reminded of the cynical expression: “I am your leader. I will follow you!”
Abraham Ben-Naftali,
Tel Aviv