When I wake up, the first thing I do is check the news. For the past few weeks, the headlines have been about the war between Ukraine and Russia, and we seemed to have moved on from the pandemic news. I thought the war would end quickly since Russia has a much more powerful military than Ukraine. However, I was wrong. The patriotism of the Ukrainians was amazing; they stayed behind and protected ...

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which was originally published in 1839, begins as the protagonist receives a letter from his close friend, Roderick Usher, who urges him to come to his house to help him as he suffers from a strange illness. Responding to his old friend’s distress call, the protagonist travels to a distant part of the country where his friend lives. Metaphorical...

Wars leave us with iconic images that somehow capture for eternity the reality that made each war hell. So our minds’ eyes see forever the hell that was Vietnam when we recall just two photographs: that little girl running down the road toward us, crying, stripped naked by napalm dropped from America’s planes; and that South Vietnamese military officer shooting his pistol into his prisoner’s hea...

The shocking Russian invasion of Ukraine has left most Americans bewildered, angry and deeply troubled. But exactly how our nation should respond remains unclear. Polls have shown a surprising number of Americans uncertain about the desirability of sanctions or the admission of Ukraine into NATO, although most wholeheartedly support President Joe Biden’s refusal to deploy combat troops. But few ...

The surprising potency of the multilateral sanctions imposed on Russia has been exceeded only by that of Ukrainians’ resistance to Russia’s invasion of their country. True, it is difficult to imagine that sanctions will bring the Russian economy to its knees faster than Russian troops are able to capture Kyiv or lay waste to the country. But, ultimately, Russia will lose much in this war. Back i...

William Shakespeare’s play “Romeo and Juliet” etched in the minds of people the world around the famous phrase, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Shakespeare was making the point that calling someone or labeling something is arbitrary. It is the intrinsic qualities of the person or thing that matter. A couple of weeks ago, two conferences ...

The presidential election was unprecedented not only for its closeness but for the nonappearance of the leading candidates’ wives in the run-up to the polling. But, of course, we have never seen spouses engulfed with so much scandal that they are reduced to a public apology and completely marginalized. Upon confirmation of his victory, Yoon Suk-yeol visited his campaign staff and party echelon a...

Now that the Korean people have chosen their new leader, who will steer the country for the next five years. Many Koreans are full of hope and expectation about the upcoming new era in South Korea. While congratulating the winner, I have 10 propositions for a brighter future for South Korea, which President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol might want to consider. First, our political leaders should be mindfu...

When Russia invaded Ukraine last month, a spate of wishful thinking ran through the West that China, a great power with friends on both sides, might step in to mediate a cease-fire. China’s government struck a pose of neutrality, called for a peaceful resolution and said it supported the principle of “territorial integrity.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a public plea to China’s X...

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24 was the beginning of a third world war that has the potential to destroy our civilization. The invasion was preceded by a long meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Feb. 4 -- the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the Beijing Winter Olympics. At the end of that meeting, the two men release...

Four weeks ago I visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and spoke with residents about a possible Russian invasion. None of them imagined they would soon be besieged by a Russian military that has cut off their water, electricity and food supplies, and that deliberately attacks civilian targets -- including a maternity hospital and civilian convoys trying to leave. My translator is now hunk...

Since Russia’s invasion, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine. An additional 4 million might not be far behind in what’s shaping up as Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. But is Europe ready to handle it? The European Union and member states have shown a massive outpouring of support. Countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania have rapid...

The Russian invasion of Ukraine caught almost everyone by surprise. US President Biden had repeatedly warned the world that Russian President Vladimir Putin would move on Ukraine, but few people thought he would launch a massive invasion. Fewer still thought that he would intimate at the possible use of nuclear weapons. In the two weeks since the full invasion began, Ukrainian forces have mounte...

Suppose Russia succeeds in toppling the Ukrainian government or seizing much of the country. Moscow’s slow start notwithstanding, this could well happen: The balance of combat power is likely to favor Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war rolls on. So what happens then? One option being debated in Western policy circles is funneling arms, money and other support to a Ukrainian insurgency. ...

By the time this article is published, the National Election Commission should have already announced the winner of the 2022 presidential election of South Korea. The new president will take office on May 10 to lead a nation that offers him many tasks that have grown heavier during the past five years of the Moon Jae-in administration. My first advice to the president-elect, with sincere wishes ...