From the mailbag

Washington Monthly, July-August, 2005 by Phoebe Tegan, Timothy Heinse

Just wanted to send a note expressing my appreciation for Gen. Wesley Clark's article ("War didn't and doesn't bring democracy"). This man seems one of the most rational, intelligent, and credible commentators on U.S. foreign policy. His words help some of us non-Americans remember that there are people in U.S. politics who don't have a cowboy attitude regarding the rest of the world.

Phoebe Tegan

Sydney, Australia

Wesley Clark should remember that war did indeed bring democracy to America and helped preserve it through many conflicts since then. I do agree with some of his comments that America should not take too much public credit for the burgeoning democracies in the Middle East. Yet I also believe that our goals as a democratic society should mesh with those of any society that seeks a truly representative government. I was in Europe at the end of the Cold War serving in the U.S. Air Force, and I have no doubt that President Reagan's call to Gorbachev to "tear down this wall" contributed to the final outcome.

Timothy Heinse

Redstone Arsenal, Ala.