Most Popular
-
1
Yoon sorry for shortcomings but insists policies were right
-
2
1 in 3 Koreans live alone, family types becoming diverse
-
3
S. Korea ‘strongly’ protests Japan’s claim over Dokdo in diplomatic bluebook
-
4
US 'incredibly concerned' about suspected NK-Iran military ties
-
5
Korean won weakens amid heightened uncertainty
-
6
Korea, Japan finance chiefs vow to tame rampant FX market volatility
-
7
Seoul says will cut power to porn festival planned on Han River
-
8
Sewol victims commemorated on tragedy's 10th anniversary
-
9
K-pop group's manager dismissed for setting up spycam in theater dressing room
-
10
Chanel, Louis Vuitton see muted growth in Korea
-
[Dominique Moisi France turning American world view upside down
PARIS ― From Washington, the enthusiasm of the French for intervention in Libya is seen with a mixture of relief and puzzlement. The Americans do not want the job and are happy that someone else does. Indeed, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s willingness to intervene (alongside British Prime Minister David Cameron) helped close a dangerous gap between the world of “values,” which would call for direct A
April 24, 2011
-
The Libyan ‘wedge’ among NATO members
The desire to “do something” about the situation in Libya drove the U.N. Security Council to authorize use of all possible measures ― diplomatic language for military force ― to protect civilian populations in that troubled country. The consensus behind that vote quickly evaporated as Russia and China, holders of permanent seats and vetoes on the Security Council and which abstained on the decisio
April 22, 2011
-
[Zhao Kejin] Libya’s expanding complications
With no end in sight the situation is turning into a humanitarian disaster with far-reaching consequences After weeks of seesawing firefights, the Libyan conflict seems to have fallen into a stalemate. The Western allies have assumed that they could intervene and oust Libyan ruler Muammar Gadhafi through air strikes. But even with the aid of the allied bombardment the rebel forces have been unable
April 22, 2011
-
[Howard Davies] Bank reform itself needs reform
LONDON ― Over the last three years, oceans of ink (or bytes) have been expended on articulating schemes to solve the conundrum of “too big to fail” banks. Many academics and pundits have castigated regulators and central bankers for their inability to understand the obvious attractions of so-called “narrow banking,” a restoration of Glass-Steagall-era separation of commercial and investment/mercha
April 22, 2011
-
[Editorial] Pause to consider before doing permanent damage
Concern over the degradation of the ecological system in and around the Mekong River ― which flows through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam ― has grabbed the attention of a leading lawmaker in the United States. Senator Jim Webb, chairman of the powerful Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and its Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, issued a statement recently saying he wa
April 22, 2011
-
[Editorial] Spratly diplomacy
The South China Sea has long been a contention among many littoral states. China, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Viet Nam claim all or part of the Spratlys, which are believed to sit on vast mineral resources.Indonesia has no such claim. However, part of its Exclusive Economic Zone on the Natuna Islands protrudes into this vast ocean. More importantly, any instability in the area wi
April 22, 2011
-
[Editorial] China’s property price guess one year after
One year after China introduced measures to cool the property market, which were described by some as the most draconian in history, tentative signs of cooling are only to be expected. Latest statistics show that month-on-month prices for new homes declined in 12 of 70 Chinese cities and remained flat in another eight cities in March while 29 cities saw smaller rises in property prices than in Feb
April 22, 2011
-
[Yuriko Koike] The sun will rise again for the Japanese
TOKYO ― In Japan, memorial services for the dead are normally held 49 days after their passing. The bereaved mourn throughout this period. The number of victims of the earthquake and tsunami that assaulted the Tohoku region of northeast Japan has now reached around 30,000, if those who are still missing are included. This was the largest natural disaster to strike Japan in its history, and the ent
April 22, 2011
-
Bad immigration laws wilt under own weight
Some political candidates campaigned last fall with a promise to “Take Back Our Country” and urged states to follow Arizona’s lead in enacting state immigration laws that would fill the void left by a neglectful federal government.The fervor grew intense as they whipped up a lather of fear. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer talked about headless bodies being dumped near the border with Mexico (which she lat
April 21, 2011
-
[Rajan Menon] The future of Libya
The fighting in Libya has reached a stalemate: Moammar Gadhafi has proved far more resilient than his adversaries anticipated, and he has also exposed the limits of what can be accomplished by war from afar. If NATO decides to end the standoff by attacking his forces with greater ferocity, there’s only one nation (you guessed it) with the requisite power.This much is evident. What remains unclear
April 21, 2011
-
[Wei Jingsheng] A return to the Cultural Revolution?
WASHINGTON ― On April 3, the Chinese Communist authorities secretly detained the well-known artist Ai Weiwei. Neither his family nor friends were notified of what happened to him, why he was seized or where he was. Like everyone else, they have now learned from the Xinhua News Agency that he is under investigation for “economic crimes.”Since this happened to one of China’s most well-known cultural
April 21, 2011
-
[Trudy Rubin] Dealing with Pakistan: A few suggestions
The unhappy marriage of convenience between the United States and Pakistan survived another squabble last week.Pakistan threatened to halt CIA drone strikes against militants in its tribal areas, one of the only effective U.S. tools for hitting al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives based there. Pakistani officials then leaked their demand that Washington sharply reduce the number of CIA and special-forc
April 21, 2011
-
[Laurence Kotlikoff] Obama might trade parties with Paul Ryan
We all know that Democrats want to spend more on people and Republicans want to tax people less. But giving someone an extra dollar is no different than taking a dollar less from that person; raising spending is the same as cutting taxes, and cutting taxes is the same as raising spending.Gee, maybe Democrats are closet Republicans, and Republicans are closet Democrats.Of course some spending isn’t
April 21, 2011
-
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] How risky is the global economy?
NEWPORT BEACH ― Three years after the global financial crisis, the global economy remains a confusing place ― and for good reasons.Should we draw comfort from gradual healing in advanced countries and solid growth in emerging economies? Or should we seek refuge against high oil prices, geopolitical shocks in the Middle East, and continued nuclear uncertainties in Japan, the world’s third largest e
April 21, 2011
-
Obama’s decision a blow to the rule of law
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama has abandoned plans to try several terrorists, including the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in civilian courts. Instead, it will use military tribunals to administer justice. It is a sad decision. The United States should be leading efforts to show that the fight against terrorism does not require sacrificing the very values that
April 20, 2011
-
[Michael Smerconish] Working at McDonald’s and lovin’ it?
When I heard that McDonald’s planned to hire 50,000 people next Tuesday, I thought it was a sign of reluctance by suburban kids to enter the workforce by wearing the Golden Arches.I’m one of the many Americans who have worked at a McDonald’s, which puts me in the company of Jay Leno, Carl Lewis, Keenen Ivory Wayans, Andie MacDowell and Macy Gray. But it’s a bigger group than that. Some estimates s
April 20, 2011
-
[Nouriel Roubini] China’s growth strategy is a bad bet
LONDON ― I recently took two trips to China just as the government launched its 12th Five-Year Plan to rebalance the country’s long-term growth model. My visits deepened my view that there is a potentially destabilizing contradiction between China’s short- and medium-term economic performance.China’s economy is overheating now, but, over time, its current overinvestment will prove deflationary bot
April 20, 2011
-
The best remedy for the price of gas
There is no magic wand that will bring down the price of gasoline, which has once again crossed the $4 mark. But there is a long-term solution that will inoculate us from higher costs in the future.The Obama administration can’t do much to lower the price of a gallon of gas, but it is on the cusp of a crucial decision that could help consumers come out ahead because they would need less gas.Offici
April 20, 2011
-
[Greg Burk] The good book, re-edited
Despite the anti-Semitic ranting of Mel Gibson, the public gulf between Roman Catholics and Jews has narrowed during recent decades. It started with overtures from Pope John Paul II between 1979 and 2000, during which time he visited Auschwitz and Jerusalem. After following his predecessor to Auschwitz in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI slammed Holocaust deniers in 2009, then set off on an Israel trip. An
April 20, 2011
-
[Aryeh Neier] Goldstone reversal on the Gaza war
NEW YORK ― Justice Richard Goldstone was condemned by many apologists for Israel’s human-rights record for his conclusion that Israel intentionally targeted Palestinian civilians as a matter of policy during the 2008-09 Gaza war. Goldstone’s United Nations-backed report accused both Israelis and Palestinians of war crimes, and called on both sides to investigate, prosecute, and punish their own pe
April 20, 2011