Article has them seeing (RED)

Re “Right for the part?” Opinion, Dec. 30

Daniel W. Drezner makes some interesting points about celebrities’ involvement in world affairs. But he misses one not-so-surprising phenomenon: the celebrities’ qualifications are rarely questioned unless the cause advocated supports the conservative ideology. One person who comes to mind is author Michael Crichton. Though unlike most other celebrities, he is actually quite educated, but his qualifications to question the validity of global warming science (or lack thereof) is constantly brought up. In my opinion, all of these dancing monkeys (conservatives and liberals alike) should just stick to entertaining.

Hirbod Rashidi

Los Angeles

I take exception to Drezner’s assertion that (RED) has been a disappointment. The facts demonstrate otherwise. Since its launch in 2006, (RED) has raised more than $53 million for the U.N. Global Fund to help fight AIDS in Africa. This total represents nearly 10 times more than the previous amount raised by the corporate sector for the Global Fund in its first four years. And it makes (RED) the 12th-largest contributor to the fund in 2006 to 2007, ahead of countries such as Australia, Russia and China. How exactly are these results disappointing?

Thanks should go to our partner companies, to consumers and yes, to the celebrities who have helped bring attention to the AIDS pandemic.

Susan Smith Ellis

New York

The writer is the chief executive of (RED).

Drezner’s characterization of (RED) as a disappointment represents a fundamental lack of understanding of (RED)’s success to date and the role it plays in funding the fight against AIDS.

(RED) represents a real breakthrough in the way that businesses contribute to the Global Fund, shifting the discussion from a one-time philanthropic contribution to an ongoing business relationship that creates a sustainable flow of dollars to the fund. The thousands of people in Ghana, Swaziland and Rwanda now on antiretroviral treatment because of (RED) dollars would hardly call this a disappointment.

Richard Feachem MD

Professor of global health

UC San Francisco

The writer was the executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria from 2002 to 2007.