Americans lack introspection

I refer to the letters of Mark Potts dated Jan. 13 and Uli Pandjaitan dated Jan. 15.

I know many Americans. As personal friends, colleagues and business associates, all of them have been wonderful people: Friendly, genial and straightforward. And, by and large, they mean what they say. I have also enjoyed my visits to the United States immensely for these very reasons.

Sometimes oversensitive Asians (me included) may misunderstand their forthrightness, but I have never seen any deliberate attempt at belittling others, just because they are not Americans.

Though one may have differences of opinion with American policy, there is no doubt that America has always been a very generous nation to the whole world. In the 1960s, but for the American aid, I have no doubt that a sizable portion of the Indian population would have gone hungry with many perishing simply due to starvation. And this American aid kept flowing without any (apparent) strings attached, though, at that time, India was too close to the Soviet Union and Indian political leaders often berated America.

So why is a country that gives so much aid to so many countries not as popular as it should be? I think serious introspection is called for, on the part of the American government and American foreign missions and diplomats.

K. B. KALE Jakarta