Clinton’s Foreign Policy

* Regarding your editorial “Clinton’s Foreign Policy: Where Is the Rhyme and Reason?” Oct. 24:

So Clinton’s foreign policy has “no rhyme or reason.” When has American foreign policy, or the foreign policy of any other major power, ever made any sense?

Truman’s foreign policy may have had a “firm sense of basic direction” but Eisenhower successfully ran against Truman’s foreign policy (i.e., bring the troops home from Korea). It was also Eisenhower’s foreign policy that installed the shah of Iran and led to that mess.

At least Clinton’s foreign policy isn’t the mean-spirited nonsense that created such chaos during the Reagan-Bush years.

IRV MORGAN

Westlake Village

* It is just as bad for a great nation to lose a war as it is to lose its reputation.

Obviously, in Somalia, and prior to that in Bosnia, we have lost both. Furthermore, a third catastrophe is in the making in Haiti.

As you suggest, it is high time for President Clinton to confine his team of foreign affair advisers to pasture, and replace them with aides who know all about sticks and carrots.

Truly, in the post-Cold War era there is a viable chance of entrenching a Pax Americana. Unfortunately, our foreign policy leaders have failed to implement a strategy that would cope with that opportunity.

TOMOR S. ZAVALANI

Panorama City

* In response to Michael Clough’s column on foreign affairs (Opinion, Oct 17):

While I agree with his premise that Clinton lacks vision, I take exception to his attempt to blame the Clinton muddling on the Bush Administration. In fact, George Bush reacted to an emergency situation in Somalia to prevent thousands from starving to death because, as was stated in the article, the U.S. was the only player that had the capability to respond quickly enough to meet the need. What the Clinton Administration did from there was to muddy the focus of the effort and become involved in a U.N.-mandated witch hunt that has only succeeded in alienating many Somali citizens, instead of withdrawing U.S. forces and turning the mission over to other U.N. forces as the Bush Administration had advocated.

The Clinton performance in Somalia might be overlooked if it were not accompanied by equally inept performances regarding Bosnia and now Haiti. What we are faced with is an Administration without a clue as to how to deal with foreign affairs, and a world stage on which the United States has lost its leadership role through ineptitude. The Clinton Administration has managed to overshadow the outstanding foreign affairs accomplishments of the past 12 years in a little over eight months.

TED MILLER

Simi Valley