Royal Celebration
You have succeeded in elaborating Queen Elizabeth II's lifetime achievements in a nutshell ["Her Royal Majesty," June 4]. The photos of her glorious 60-year reign speak for themselves, and they highlight her popularity due to her dedication and lovable character as an icon. She will be remembered as a monarch of compassion, natural grace and integrity.
Syed Rashid Ali Shah, VROOMSHOOP, THE NETHERLANDS
Britain won the lottery in 1952 when Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne and dedicated herself solemnly to the service of her people. This intrepid little woman has fulfilled that promise with exemplary grace and dedication throughout all the vicissitudes of her reign.
Noreen J. Pryor, YANDINA, AUSTRALIA
I was saddened to see such an unflattering photo of the Queen on your cover. The facial expression may well reflect the austere economic times in which we Brits currently live, but surely on such a happy occasion as the Diamond Jubilee of our long-serving monarch, TIME could have selected a more gracious picture from the doubtless countless images in its archives.
Henry Carlton, LONDON
Shame on you for using that ghastly photo of the Queen on your cover. You must have had a reason for doing it. What was it?
Brian Russell, ELLENBROOK, AUSTRALIA
Quite amazing to see the resemblance between Lucian Freud's painting of the Queen and your cover image. His true genius did what an artist is supposed to do: give the viewer a look into the mystery of what is behind the photograph. My compliments.
Willem A. De Jonge, THE HAGUE
Many thanks for highlighting the ridiculously out-of-touch finances involved in the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations ["Party Girl," June 4]. It is claimed by a cloying and sycophantic press that the Queen is in touch with her subjects. If that were the case, she must have known how her ostentatious display of great wealth and privilege would play with her subjects, who have no choice but to pay, through taxes, for part of the bill. When it comes to austerity, the whole Jubilee affair merely magnifies the differences between the classes in this country.
Jim Patton, NORTH LANARKSHIRE, SCOTLAND
Lessons Learned
Re "The Best News Out of Afghanistan" [June 4]: Joe Klein argues that if Pakistanis had a leader with a fraction of Benjamin Netanyahu's knowledge of American politics, they would have behaved very differently regarding the incident in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed by American fire. But I wonder how Netanyahu would have behaved had it been 24 Israeli soldiers killed by the Americans. The apology from the White House would have come long before it was asked for.
Javad Mahdavi, LONDON
Patriotism and sacrificing for one's country's freedom is not an American monopoly. And, yes, the U.S. badly needs to learn some humility and dilute the arrogance that drips from its policies, its Congress, its Presidents and even its reporters.
Agha A. Gul, QUETTA, PAKISTAN
It irks me to no end how people in hindsight take the high stand. With an attitude that pervades everywhere, Klein refers to President George W. Bush's "disastrously stupid invasion of Iraq." The U.S. had to decide to go to war based on the facts it had at the time. What if it had been decided that there were no weapons of mass destruction and there actually were? Would the public now have blamed Bush for ignoring the signs and arrogant attitudes of Saddam Hussein and his henchmen?
Philip Kriel, CAPE TOWN
Banking on Reform
Rana Foroohar's revelation regarding the 2010 — 11 meetings between various regulating agencies and outside interest groups is unsurprising ["The Case for Banking Regulation," June 4]. It shows why banking reform is so elusive and how financial institutions scoff at unfavorable legislation. Aggressive lobbying ensures that robust reform bills will be defeated, or if passed, subsequently repealed or diluted to legitimize the actions of the banking sector. Activists outside the U.S. who aspire to the American model should realize that what appears to be democracy is in reality a kleptocracy with politicians legislating for vested interests rather than the common good. Without radical reform, expect more of the same!
Doug Robinson, YARM, ENGLAND
Rebuilding in Libya
It is a pity that the Arab Spring has not brought Libya the beautiful spring as expected ["Hope Among the Ruins," June 4]. Instead, the nation is a wreck, both politically and economically. With a fierce and treacherous power struggle going on among the various armed groups, it will be hard for the nation to rebuild itself in the near future.
Han Venn-ti, TAIPEI