Aug. 14, 2019 2:54 pm ET

To William A. Galston’s “‘America First’ Needs Democracy Abroad”

(Politics & Ideas, Aug. 7),

I say no! We have been down that road before and we have nothing to show for it. The Iraq fiasco and the Afghanistan scene have shown little promise of democracy, and who is to say that the Taliban will not rule once we leave. It’s a myth that we need other countries to be democratic for our democracy to survive. It’s perhaps more likely that democratic societies would be less likely to go to war with each other but even that is a supposition.

As for Sens. Marco Rubio, Ben Cardin and their ilk who recommend that President Trump rebuke Beijing for any attempt to interfere with the Hong Kong revolt, we again witness the grandstanding of our politicians who would embroil us in a situation where we have no right to be.

Hong Kong is not requesting our assistance and it is not our prerogative to choose what we think is in its interest. It seems to me that these well-meaning senators would be better off getting down to the work for which they were elected in solving our own problems.

Brian J. Halpin

Prospect Heights, Ill.

China Is No Manipulator

We cannot on one hand condemn China for manipulating currency and then turn around and do the same.

Aug. 12, 2019 3:58 pm ET

President Trump’s push to have the Federal Reserve weaken the dollar is a violation of the free-market rules of the World Trade Organization (“U.S., China Escalate Trade War,” Page One, Aug. 6). We cannot on one hand condemn China for manipulating currency and then turn around and do the same. It would be a complete loss of global credibility, not to say hypocritical. It would make a mockery of free-market principles that the U.S. has a responsibility to protect, defend and enforce.

Ed Houlihan