The Book of Life

continues to occur across the nation,” the U.S. Civil Rights Commission declared last year. Young immigrant Asians complain that they are constantly threatened. To some Asian Americans, being only “very good” is tantamount to failure. “It seems to me that having people like this renews our own striving for excellence,” observes Emmy Werner, professor of human development at the University of California at Davis. “We shouldn’t be threatened but challenged.” Mathematician Cappell is thrilled by the new inheritors. “Their presence.’’ he says, “is going to be a great blessing for society.” SOLUTION-ORIENTED POLICY Perhaps the most important event of 1988 was the understanding reached between the Soviet Union and the United States, which Time magazine (May 30, 1988) aptly described as the “grand compromise.” The Soviet Union and the United States are both regarded as the world’s superpowers. For seventy years, they had been locked in fierce rivalry, each following a policy of confrontation. Their press and media worked mainly to accuse and condemn each other. But after long experience, both sides are now speaking of peace instead of conflict. Instead of pouring energy into an arms race, they are focusing on dialogue. They are moving away from rivalry and turning toward reconciliation.