Most Popular
-
1
Russia sent more than 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum to N. Korea in March: White House
-
2
Key suspects grilled over alleged abuse of power in Marine death inquiry
-
3
[Graphic News] Number of coffee franchises in S. Korea rises 13%
-
4
S. Korean children, teens grow taller, mature faster than before: study
-
5
Some junior doctors are returning: Health Ministry
-
6
Army takes group action against Hybe for neglecting BTS
-
7
[Robert J. Fouser] AI changes rationale for learning languages
-
8
Marine Corps commander summoned by CIO for questioning on alleged influence-peddling case
-
9
Woman dangling from power lines rescued by residents holding blanket
-
10
Ador CEO's request for exclusive right to terminate NewJeans' contract with Hybe refused in February
-
What hasn’t changed in post-racial America
In January 2009 much of the nation watched with a kind of stunned jubilation as the first black president was sworn into office. In the intoxication of that moment, some suggested the U.S. had finally moved beyond the racial quagmire that has defined its history and circumscribed its democracy. In a country where violent disfranchisement was still within living memory, the fact that 69 million voters ― of all racial backgrounds ― voted for a presidential candidate of African descent validated fa
July 16, 2013
-
[Kim Seong-kon] Don’t leave home without respect for others
Those who lived in the States during the 1970s probably remember the highly successful American Express card television ad, featuring Academy Award-winner Karl Malden. On the TV screen, Malden would flash American Express travelers’ checks and say the trademark phrase: “Don’t leave home without them.” When the slogan was used to advertise American Express cards later on, it was simply changed to “Don’t leave home without it.” The catchy ad has been parodied a number of times. For example, I reme
July 16, 2013
-
[James Phillips] U.S. behind the curve on Syria
White House officials recently made a low-key announcement that President Obama has authorized the transfer of arms to Syria’s rebels. This 180-degree shift in the administration’s policy, after two years of hand-wringing and diplomatic posturing, was announced by an obscure National Security Council official rather than the president.President Obama has distanced himself from the Syrian crisis for several reasons. The bloodbath in Syria, which has claimed more than 90,000 lives, contradicts his
July 15, 2013
-
To restart nukes, Japan must raze ‘nuclear village’
The governing coalition led by Japan’s pro-nuclear Liberal Democratic Party is predicted to win a majority in the July 21 Upper House elections. That prospect might alarm the almost half of all Japanese citizens who say they don’t want to restart the 48 nuclear reactors that remain offline for safety checks after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered a catastrophic meltdown. Even now, engineers are struggling to contain the radioactive water seeping into the groundwater under the
July 15, 2013
-
Protection of individual privacy and FISA court
When Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was asked about the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court during his confirmation hearings, he replied: “It’s not what we usually think of when we think of a court.” And he was absolutely right.As Roberts noted, most Americans think of a court as open to the public, where “lawyers argue, and it’s subject to the glare of publicity. And the judges explain their decision to the public and they can examine them.” But the federal FISA court ― created by Congre
July 15, 2013
-
Road to White House may start with Virginia contest
In 1991, Zell Miller, then governor of Georgia and a Democrat, advised his colleague Bill Clinton of Arkansas that there were two guys he needed to run his likely presidential campaign: James Carville and Paul Begala. “Who are they?” asked Clinton, a man well-versed in Democratic politics. Even though they had had successes, including Miller’s election, Carville and Begala didn’t become a big deal until they ran Harris Wofford’s campaign in a special Pennsylvania senate election in 1991. It was
July 15, 2013
-
[Virginia Postrel] Serendipity and samples can save Barnes & Noble
Turmoil at Barnes & Noble Inc., where Chief Executive Officer William Lynch resigned last week after the company posted an unexpectedly large loss in the quarter ended April 30, has people in the publishing industry worried. “We’re all forced to ask: What would the book discovery environment look like without Barnes & Noble?” writes Rich Fahle, a former Borders executive who runs a marketing agency for authors. The question zeroes in on a growing problem for the U.S. book industry. Although read
July 15, 2013
-
Radical Buddhism threatens Myanmar’s democratization
Two years into its transition from dictatorship to democracy, Myanmar is finding out how dangerous freedom can be. Since June 2012, when fighting broke out between Buddhists and Muslims in western Arakan state, attacks against Myanmar’s tiny Muslim minority have spread throughout the country. More than 200 people have been killed in Buddhist-Muslim riots, and more than 150,000 rendered homeless ― most of them Muslims. Many Burmese think that former regime figures are stoking the attacks, hoping
July 14, 2013
-
[David Ignatius] A yearning for lost greatness
WASHINGTON ― Hisham Melhem, a prominent Lebanese journalist, recalls an emotional visit to the Great Mosque of Cordoba in southern Spain last May. With tears in his eyes, he found himself wondering how the Arab Muslim genius of a thousand years ago had veered in modern times toward such chaos and repression. Melhem later wrote a column for the Beirut daily An Nahar describing his visit to the Andalusia region, “roaming as if ... in a dream,” touching the pillars of the mosque in Cordoba and othe
July 14, 2013
-
This Ramadan, what has happened to Islam?
This Ramadan I’m praying for a miracle. Islam’s holy month begins this week, and millions of Muslims everywhere are fasting, reflecting and asking God to answer prayers. Like millions of American Muslims, I will be thinking about the cycle of violence that appears to have taken on a life of its own, and I worry that cycle is unstoppable.The so-called Arab Spring was thought to mean a new beginning; but the wave of change did not bring freedom and prosperity to the region. Instead two years into
July 14, 2013
-
Thailand needs to invest in people, not rice
The search for lessons from lost economic decades has led from Japan to the U.S. to Europe. Now the spotlight turns to Thailand. This may strike some as odd, considering Thailand’s 5.3 percent growth, its young and expanding population, and the surprising level of political stability in Bangkok. In her two years leading Thailand’s 68 million people, Yingluck Shinawatra has somehow managed to tamp down the virtual civil war that led to the ouster of her prime minister brother in 2006. Look closer
July 14, 2013
-
[Tony Blair] The struggle for democracy in Egypt and beyond
LONDON ― The events that led Egypt’s military to remove President Mohammed Morsi confronted the army with a simple choice: intervention or chaos. Seventeen million people in the street is not the same thing as an election. But it is an awesome manifestation of people power.Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood was unable to shift from being an opposition movement to being a governing party. Of course, governments govern badly or well or averagely. But this is different. Egypt’s economy is tanking. Ordinary
July 14, 2013
-
[Robert Reich] Patriotism is paying for U.S.
The 19 firefighters who died battling a huge wildfire near Prescott, Ariz., presumably were motivated by something other than rational self-interest. Like the first responders to 9/11 and other emergencies, and members of the armed forces, those firefighters put themselves in harm’s way (or chose a job that did so) because they wanted to serve.Economics, and much of public policy and political strategy, assume that people are motivated by self-interest, that the definition of acting rationally i
July 12, 2013
-
Did Iranian meddling prompt Egyptian uprising?
In January, Egyptian newspapers reported that the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Suleimani, had traveled to Cairo that month to meet with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s aides about setting up a spy service that would answer to Iran and circumvent the Egyptian military. Were the Egyptian people really going to sit back and allow Iran to take over their country?Imagine a conflict in which American, Egyptian and Israeli intelligence are all on the same side as the Egyptian people, drai
July 12, 2013
-
Snowden fallout has been massive for U.S.
Edward Snowden has wrought more damage on the United States than any private individual in recent memory.It’s not just the theft and publication of classified material. That was bad enough because those disclosures make the U.S. look hypocritical and deceitful. The revelations are infuriating America’s allies and rivals alike. But the 30-year-old’s fervid attempts to find asylum are also setting off escalating rounds of anger and recrimination ― all of that aimed at Washington, too.Just one exam
July 11, 2013
-
[David Ignatius] Conditions for a do-over
WASHINGTON ― The White House rationalized last week’s military coup in Egypt as providing the opportunity for a “do-over,” and that’s a comforting idea in more ways than one. But political life doesn’t come with an eraser to neatly remove mistakes and start over ― especially in the explosive Middle East. Egypt did need a new start. President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood government had bungled so badly that Egypt was in the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as I described it a mon
July 11, 2013
-
Japan’s attempt to whitewash own actions
Preparations for attempted “invasions” by other countries are on Japan’s radar even though its 2013 defense white paper admits that the possibility is remote.The white paper, released on Tuesday, claims that the security environment in the vicinity of Japan had grown severe last year, and it names China and other neighbors as threats.But this is just another attempt by today’s Japan to whitewash its own actions.China, Russia and the Republic of Korea all have territorial disputes with Japan, whi
July 11, 2013
-
Beijing should stop gas field development
The latest development is serious and certain to raise tensions in relations between Japan and China, which are already at loggerheads over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.It was recently learned that China is developing a new gas field near the median line between the two countries in the East China Sea, an area where a common borderline has yet to be defined.It can be said that China’s hard-line stance under President Xi Jinping has become clear, with his administration trying to exp
July 11, 2013
-
SE Asia’s China relations
One of the most fruitful diplomatic and socio-economic relationships over the past decade must surely be that between China and countries in Southeast Asia, though not without the occasional hiccup.The ASEAN member states have enjoyed double-digit growth in their trade with the world’s most populous nation in recent years and it reached a record high of $400.9 billion last year.Now the third biggest trading partner with China, ASEAN is expected to become the No. 1 trading partner in the next two
July 11, 2013
-
[Nirmal Ghosh] Cambodian strongman ‘eyeing political dynasty’
Asia’s longest-serving prime minister Hun Sen is seeking to build a political dynasty, analysts say, with both his son and son-in-law running in Cambodia’s upcoming general elections on July 28. At the same time, at least five other senior members of his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) also have their sons contesting the election.The CPP won 90 of 123 National Assembly seats in the last election in 2008. This time, while the party is certain of winning, it is also fearful of surprises and
July 11, 2013