Congratulations on the new blog. I have felt for ages that we Americans really must develop a better understanding of the rest of the world--our ignorance of what is going on in other countries is overwhelming at times and is the reason, in large measure, why citizens of other countries treat us with distain- we simply don't know anything about them. I have believed that the news media has had much to do with this, as their coverage of other countries is abysmal (measure the column inches in the Post on articles about other countries--it is very low---and we usually only hear about countries in which the US has a strategic interest.) So to start this blog is great--- too bad we can't expand this kind of coverage to the print edition as well.

Congratulations, Jeff. I have been looking forward to the debut of this blog for quite some time, when you announced that it would be forthcoming in one of your August online Washington Post chats.

I wholeheartedly anticipate the diversity and debate, strong comments, neglected facts, and unpopular dissent. I hope that it will be a thought-provoking place to which many will gravitate.

Dear Mr.Morley:

This site is a grand idea, if it meets its promise: "Present a balanced selection of what the world thinks about the stories that are -- and are not -- covered by the U.S. media."

The litmus test, of course, will be your site's willingness to portray the FACTS of the savagery of Israel's behavior in the West Bank - a subject taboo (or hugely air-brushed) in US media but well and bluntly reported in Israel's Ha'aretz by journalists like Amira Haas and Gideon Levy.

Since you have posted Mr. Mansoor's comments on the Blog, I do not believe he should be worried. But, I hope we will still have the benefit of your analysis too.

The real debate of world affairs and how world will view US should start with all those resolutions that US forced UN to pass asking Saddam's Iraq to declare and destroy its nonexistent WMDs. Does US feel sorry that it was wrong about saddam's Iraq having WMDs? Does US feel sorry that it attacked Iraq based on false premises, causing death of innocent thousands in the process? How can US and the world undo what is done due to misguided US impression of Saddam's Iraq having WMDs?

Current rise in oil prices is largely due to that US attack on Iraq even though media tries to shift blame to rising demand in China and India. That rising demand has been going on for atleast last ten years if not more without such drastic increases in oil prices.