Dangerous times call for global alliances and leadership

Michael Sexton describes the US foreign policy urge to meddle, in terms that seem to refer to historical tendencies (“US foreign policy still suffers from the urge to meddle”, 29/3). In the case of Vladimir Putin and Russia, the Democrats before Donald Trump sought a market for newly developed gas-exporting facilities and sanctions on Russian gas pipelines to Europe left the market open to the US.

Democrat slandering of Putin and Russia’s interference in the elections similarly assisted to restrain Russia’s economic activity.

Trump’s non-judgmental liaison with Russia assisted to eliminate Islamic State in quick time once pragmatism was applied with regard to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad. Friendship with Russia was a good initiative to balance against China’s increasing imperialism, which is now playing out in Iran.

Democrats are assisting China’s hegemony, and working globally to redefine China’s developing nation status would do much to restrict China’s funds being spent on military build-ups and potential hardcore war. Instead of trade wars and deals, which were Trump’s preferred approach, potential for real war is escalating under the Democrats.

Elizabeth Wirtz, Cape Woolamai, Vic

The world has not been this unsafe since the Cold War of the 1950s and 60s, with an ever expansionist China, Putin and Xi Jinping working closer together and now a security and economic agreement between China and Iran (“China, Iran strike security and economic agreement”, 29/3). America’s response to this mounting threat is to invite Putin and Xi to meet on climate change (“Biden asks Xi to climate summit”, 29/3).

Iain Rae, River Heads, Qld

Covid concerns

Adam Creighton (“How economists failed society over pandemic”, 27-28/3) provided, as usual, an excellent account of his subject. It did, however, have one flaw: it was based on hindsight, while the economists and politicians he criticised were not blessed with foresight because relevant knowledge was in short supply among their medical advisers.

Given this degree of uncertainty, politicians adopted policies that would minimise the immediate threat of sickness and death at the cost of the deferred threat of a massive budget blowout. The former would have been politically devastating, but the latter would probably be overlooked amid the welter of world politics, natural and man-made disasters and celebrity scandals that are the normal preoccupations of the news cycle.

However, it had become clear where the major risks lay early in the outbreak, and a case can be made for the adoption of a more targeted approach to COVID control, at much lower cost. But in practice the feasibility of this more selective protection of the most vulnerable was far from certain. Medical advisers weigh up medical risks, economists estimate financial risks and politicians weigh up political risks; in the absence of hard science all three sectors are fallible, and the outcome is bound to be imperfect.

David Barker, Bunbury, WA.

Queensland’s Premier has imposed a three-day lockdown. I’ve come to the conclusion that the Queensland Department of Health is terrified. Are they frightened that effective tracing and restrictions for those directly affected may be beyond them? It is now over a year since COVID-19 restrictions started, but the Queensland government still isn’t organised. I went to Queensland Health website to check on the restrictions. All they can provide is a message: “Three-day lockdown … please check back later for more details”. After all this time the rules should be ready to go at the same time as the announcement.

L. Smith, Kenmore, Qld

Bible studies

I take issue with the claim by Doug Hurst (Letters, 29/3) that “Believing the unbelievable was always going to fade, and … we are better off without it”.

Although I am no longer a regular churchgoer, I regard the teachings of Jesus to be fundamental to those of us who wish to live in a tolerant and caring society in which greed — especially the insatiable greed for money and power that is all too common these days — is a sin rather than good, and caring for your fellow man or woman is not a sign of weakness.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin, ACT

Duty of care

A telling postscript to the harrowing story of 65 children dead in just a year through Victoria’s welfare system. The final paragraph of Damon Johnston’s story was that all family members were invited to participate in the inquiry but the commission did not receive any contact from any family members. What does that say about our society?

D. Adams, Toorak, Vic