[marshall] Dr Mahathir's selected letters to world leaders volume 2 [rak94]

Many leaders write memoirs but few risk sharing their official correspondence
with the public. This second volume of 73 letters records frank discussions on
many issues of great public concern. Those from Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok
Tong stand out because they are sharp, business-like, meticulous and detai!ed.
Letters from George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, General Pervez Musharraf, Saddam
Hussein, Benazir Bhutto, Kofi Annan, F.W.de Klerk, John Major, King Abdullah
II and others are direct and simple. Dr Mahathir's letter to Pope John Paul II is
the essence of the man. Always thoughtful, he wrote a warm letter to Nelson
Mandela when he was released from prison.
The result is a book of opinion. The correspondents' candour is to be
enjoyed, particularly Dr Mahathir's exchanges with Lee Kuan Yew and Goh
Chok Tong. Whether the views expressed are far-sighted or misinterpreted
by those who share or reject them, they make for inspiring reading and are
a great aid to achieve a better grasp of world events and diplomacy and the
personalities who shaped them.
Dr Mahathir has long stood out as one of the most consequential prime
ministers Malaysia has had. His letters here make an important contribution
to the man's achievements and non-achievements. They represent a good start
to understanding Malaysian foreign policy, and should spur further inquiry.
This book Is a celebration of unusual personalities who ruled their countries
between 1990 and 2003. The frst volume was winner of the Popular- The Star
Readers' Choice Award in 2009.