As soon as I saw your front page and read the heading (“America’s Fear of China,” May 19, 2007), I thought of Japan. I remember the Eighties quite vividly. I was thus not surprised to read about Japanophobia in your main leader. But then I remembered Islamophobia of recent vintage, which you do not mention presumably because it has nothing to do with economics. Of course, Islam is about oil, and little else but oil, but you are forgiven. At any rate, America’s fear may be shifting, but it is there all the time. Remember the fear of the Soviet Union? Fear is deeply embedded in the American psyche ever since the Americans have realized that the only way their empire could go is down. And that was soon after the end of World War II. Ever since, America is about fear. When one source of fear is brushed off, another one is dreamt up at once, lest the country gets anxious without fear. For it has become constitutional. To wit, the fear of China will pass, but to no avail.