Letters

“It is absolutely laughable that American politicians have the nerve to accuse Annan of nepotism and conflict of interest.”
Johan Johansson
Stockholm

Your story on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the oil-for-food scandal [Dec. 13] conceded that neither Annan nor his son has been found guilty of anything improper or illegal. You noted that Annan is defending himself against a “small but determined band of congressional foes” who have launched five separate congressional investigations. But why focus on problems at the U.N. instead of the real scandal of the day: lying by the U.S. President to take us to war?
Trey Casimir
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Annan’s problems are not the result of a vendetta by conservatives in the U.S. government. Either Annan wasn’t minding the store during the oil-for-food thievery or he was part of the scandal. Because the U.S. pays a large share of the U.N.’s expenses, it is not heavy handed of us to demand to know how some people received preferential deals to buy Iraqi oil below market price and then reap huge profits. The U.N. has been an anti-American club for years. One of the many reasons its credibility is questioned is the failure to enforce its resolutions against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Scott Anderson
Green Valley, Arizona, U.S.

The latest rumors swirling around Annan have done nothing to change my mind. He is a believer in world justice and international cooperationgoals the U.S. has seemingly abandoned under the Bush Administration. Annan will meet this challenge and survive, but the U.N. will suffer damage.
Pat Black
Portola Valley, California, U.S.

It is absolutely laughable that american politicians have the nerve to accuse Annan of nepotism and conflict of interest. No evidence of wrongdoing by him or his son exists, but the same cannot be said of the Bush Administration. It is hard to take seriously the criticism of the U.N. Security Council’s actions regarding Iraq. Considering the comically incorrect material about Iraq’s supposed weapons of mass destruction that was presented to the U.N. by Colin Powell, an apology seems more appropriate. The Bush Administration does not help U.S. credibility by stubbornly insisting there was a link between al-Qaeda and Saddam despite its inability to produce the slightest proof of this unlikely alliance. Surely, reality still counts. Perhaps it’s time for U.S. conservatives to examine the evidence instead of calling the U.N. biased.
Johan Johansson
Stockholm

So republican senator Norm Coleman thinks Annan should resign his post simply because the alleged oil-for-food scandal happened on his watch? What, then, does Coleman think George W. Bush should do? What about the “catastrophic success” of the war in Iraq and the biggest federal deficit in history? Perhaps Coleman can suggest the appropriate punishment for those things.
Jeffrey J. Mariotte
Douglas, Arizona, U.S.

Keep Bollywood Clean
Your notebook item “Bolly-bad!” described some new Bollywood movies that portray promiscuity, prostitution and gay relationships [Dec. 13]. India is famous for its rich tradition and culture, but these days our media stars are blindly following vulgar Western trends emphasizing sexuality. Is this wise? Does one become modern by wearing a short dress? Rubbish! Modernity can only be achieved by having a free mind, a pure soul and fine thoughts. We Indians should never forget our cultural heritage; we should fight against spreading indecency. If we can defeat vulgarity, then other countries will follow our lead.
Anshuman S.S. Mohanty
Cuttack, India

Bridging the Gap
I fully agree with your article about the existence of two Indias: the haves and the have-nots [Dec. 6]. Any development is meaningless if we are unable to provide basic facilities to all Indians. The middle class has an important role to play in this. If all those in the middle and upper classes donated just 5% of their income to charity, it would make a big difference. Much of the investment that has come into India in recent years has been confined to certain regions and selected industries. The government should increase investment in the rural sector and in other areas that have been left behind. The manufacturing sector needs to be strengthened as well. This would increase the number of jobs.
Mehra Saurabh
New Delhi

Man-Made Calamity
Illegal logging in the Philippines has contributed to conditions that allow relatively minor typhoons to become killers [Dec. 13]. The important thing we have learned from the recent calamity that ravaged our country is how we can manage to build our lives once again. It’s a hard lesson. If we continue damaging our environment, however, other disasters will remind us that nature’s powerful wrath can destroy the helpless.
Junjun Carballo
Silay City, the Philippines

A Heritage at Risk
TIME’s story on Donald and Shelley Rubin, collectors of Himalayan art [Dec. 13], surprised me because it seemed to glorify the collecting of foreign antiquities. Although I have no reason to suspect that the Rubins acquired their Far Eastern artifacts illegally, your magazine has, in the past, sought to highlight the destruction of Asia’s cultural heritage and expose the damage done by illegal trading in antiquities. Legitimate collectors undoubtedly have a deep admiration for the art they buy, but their passion fuels an international trade that ultimately leads to the destruction of the cultural heritage of many developing nations.
Dougald O’Reilly
Director
HeritageWatch
Phnom Penh

Tale of a Traitor
The story of Charles Robert Jenkins, the U.S. Army sergeant who left his post in South Korea and fled to the communist North in 1965, will generate a lot of sympathy for him [Dec. 13]. We shouldn’t forget, however, that he deserted because he was scared of going to Vietnam. Legally, Jenkins will be a free man after being discharged. But knowing about the troops who served honorably in Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, I will have difficulty feeling any sympathy for that coward.
Kazuho Baba
Anaheim, California, U.S.

Jenkins didn’t deserve the leniency he received. His maltreatment by the North Koreans should not be used as an excuse. It was Jenkins’ own actions that led him to the “hell” of North Korea. The U.S. has just let a man who is far from a patriot get off lightly. At least Jenkins has decided to live in Japan; the U.S. has no room for traitors.
Bradford Paik
Beaverton, Oregon, U.S.

Kashmir
In “Best of Asia”, kashmir is described as a “war zone” [Nov. 22]. Cross-border terrorism has been the only cause of tension in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and along the Line of Control a cease-fire has been in place since November 2003. It is also odd that whereas all other tourist spots are described as part of the country they belong to, Dal Lake and the Gulmarg Golf Club are only described as being located in Kashmir. Both these tourist spots are located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral part of the Republic of India.
Navtej Sarna
Spokesperson
ministry of external affairs
New Delhi

A Legendary Role
Our Milestone on the death of ballerina Alicia Markova [Dec. 13] emphasized her link to the romantic role of Giselle. Three years ago, TIME Europe highlighted the popularity of Giselle and included Markova’s views, as well as her stringent comments on any radical updating of the classic ballet [June 11, 2001]:

“‘There’s something eternal in the basic narrative,’ says John Neumeier, artistic director of the Hamburg Ballet … ‘A woman who’s very pure and trusting and in the end very strong, and a man who’s made a great mistake’ … It’s a simple enough story: Giselle, a frail young peasant girl, [goes mad and] dies after she finds out that her lover Albrechtwho is from a much higher rung on the social ladderhas deceived her … Prima ballerinas want to dance Giselle. It’s a part that can make or break careers … ‘It’s considered the same as Hamlet is considered for the Shakespearean actor,’ says Dame Alicia Markova, a former prima ballerina who in 1960 wrote a book titled Giselle and I. ‘You have to be something almost not human to give a good rendering, because it demands so much. Wherever I went, that’s what the people asked for … Why can’t they just leave a great classic as it is?’ [Markova] says in a voice laced with exasperation. ‘You don’t take a great classic and turn it. You come up with proper new ideas.'”