The Korea Herald

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Mauritius miracle of social welfare

NEW YORK ― Suppose someone were to describe a small country that provided free education through university for all of its citizens, transportation for school children, and free health care ― including heart surgery ― for all. You might suspect that such a country is either phenomenally rich or on the fast track to fiscal crisis.After all, rich countries in Europe have increasingly found that they

March 11, 2011

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Mauritius miracle of social welfare

Foreign press crackdown a blot on China’s image

My doorbell rang unexpectedly on Sunday (March 6) afternoon.I wasn’t expecting guests, but I guess the two uninvited ones at my door belong to an organization that is not in the habit of ringing ahead to announce its arrival.The two uniformed Chinese policemen at my door, accompanied by a staff member of the estate management, did not introduce themselves or show any identification. Perhaps they f

March 11, 2011

[Editorial] Galliano a reminder of repercussions to discrimination

Before he was accused of being an anti-Semitic drunk, before videos surfaced of him calling people “ugly Jews” and professing his love for Adolf Hitler, designer John Galliano was a long-time fashion darling who wowed the sartorial elite, season after season, as the creative force behind luxury fashion house Christian Dior.On March 1, at the height of the controversy, Dior fired its creative direc

March 11, 2011

[Andrew Sheng] Middle East and breakdown of social capital

What do the problems in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt have in common with the Oscars? The answer is Facebook and the Social Network. The latter is the name of the film about the founders of Facebook that won three Oscars. The Egyptian protestors learned how to socially connect through Facebook, having learned the techniques of social organization and use of mobile communication technology from a bunch

March 11, 2011

[Andrew Sheng] Middle East and breakdown of social capital

Free speech can work only with mutual respect

A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that would allow hateful protests at military funerals has resulted in a public debate over the limits of free speech. The court ruled that the First Amendment protected those who engaged in a venomous protest at the funeral of a Marine who had died in Iraq. Protesters from Westboro Baptist Church, whose headquarters are in Kansas, appeared at the funeral holding

March 10, 2011

[Gregory Rodriguez] The loyalty dance

Dance, monkey, dance.That’s what the United States has long shouted at immigrants and ethnic groups suspected of being disloyal. The nation asks its newcomers to perform in meaningless ways to “prove” they belong here.The dancers change, but not the dance. Because the United States is continually incorporating immigrants, the perceived threat of betrayal is constant. This week, Rep. Peter T. King,

March 10, 2011

[Omar Ashour] A regime incapable of self-reform

LONDON ― “The enemy of yesterday is the friend of today.... It was a real war, but those brothers are free men now.” Thus spoke Saif al-Islam al-Gadhafi in March 2010, referring to the leaders of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), an armed organization that had attempted to assassinate his father, Muammar al-Gadhafi, three times in the mid-1990s.This may seem surprising. A few days ago, the

March 10, 2011

[Omar Ashour] A regime incapable of self-reform

[Michael J. Graetz] The high cost of oil

The spread of popular revolt in the Middle East to Libya has exacerbated a spike in oil prices and gasoline costs at the pump. In turn, this has stimulated widespread complaints about the lack of a coherent U.S. foreign policy toward despots in the region. This is not the first time this has happened.More than four decades ago, a military coup, led by a 27-year-old Moammar Gadhafi, overthrew Libya

March 10, 2011

[Andres Martinez] Embracing Moammar Gadhafi is a shame

Hugo Chavez is trying to come to the rescue of his friend and fellow “colonel,” Moammar Gadhafi. The Venezuelan president has offered to mediate Libya’s civil war, and warned against any foreign intervention in support of Libya’s opposition, which now controls much of the east of the country, including the port of Benghazi, home of the Hugo Chavez soccer stadium. The Venezuelan government even rai

March 10, 2011

[Shashi Tharoor] The crisis of private microfinance industry in India

NEW DELHI ― The recent ouster of the Nobel Prize-winning Bangladeshi economist Mohammed Yunus as managing director of the Grameen Bank, which blazed a trail for microfinance in developing countries, has thrown a spotlight on the crisis engulfing a business that was once seen as a harbinger of hope for millions.Yunus’s tussle with the government of Bangladesh, which had tried to retire him on groun

March 10, 2011

[Shashi Tharoor] The crisis of private microfinance industry in India

Don’t overlook the issue of illegal donations

Japaneses Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara has admitted in a meeting of the House of Councillors Budget Committee that he received political donations from a South Korean resident living in Kyoto.This is a problem that cannot be forgiven just because the amount of money involved was small or because he may not have received it intentionally.The Political Funds Control Law prohibits politicians from

March 9, 2011

[Matthew Lynn] Charlie Sheen could teach Wall Street a lesson

It would take most of us a few dozen lifetimes to amass 2 million followers on Twitter. And yet Charlie Sheen managed it in less than a week.Last month, CBS Corp. discontinued the hit comedy show “Two and a Half Men” after Sheen’s public jousting with senior management over a binge that the wild-man actor has described as “epic” and “radical.” Since then, he has become one of the biggest names on

March 9, 2011

[David Ignatius] A rocky transition for Arab economies?

WASHINGTON ― After the radiant sunrise of the Arab spring, here’s a somber shadow: Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries making the transition to democracy are likely to face severe economic problems over the next several years ― ones that could bring chaos if the Arabs and their friends in the West aren’t wise. For the dimensions of this economic transition, think of the Marshall Plan after Wo

March 9, 2011

[David Ignatius] A rocky transition for Arab economies?

[Letter to the Editor] Japan’s thorny relations with neighbors

Japan’s relations with its immediate neighbors have taken a drastic dip in recent times. One major problem is the disputed territorial claims that Japan faces with China, South Korea and Russia.Japan controls Senkaku Islands (Diaoyutai in Chinese), a chain of islands also claimed by China and Taiwan. In early September 2010, Japanese patrol boats clashed with a Chinese fishing trawler near the isl

March 9, 2011

[Kevin Hassett] Romney can’t withstand Obama’s kiss of death

The 2012 presidential campaign is finally stirring to life, with would-be Republican candidates Haley Barbour and Mike Huckabee musing about whether Mitt Romney should be disqualified by similarities between Massachusetts’ Romneycare and Obamacare.As if on cue, President Barack Obama defended his health care overhaul in remarks to the nation’s governors by associating it with Romney’s, an embrace

March 9, 2011

[Heizo Takenaka] Third party role in moderating U.S.-China relations

TOKYO ― The closing decade of the 20th century offered a crystal ball for anyone peering into the future of the Asia-Pacific region. Japan’s economy, once the region’s leader, was “lost” after its asset bubble burst, whereas China overcame the economic stagnation that followed the Tiananmen Square crisis of 1989 to achieve its current path of strong growth. The debate raging 10 years ago about Chi

March 9, 2011

[Heizo Takenaka] Third party role in moderating U.S.-China relations

‘Luxury tax’ on the wealthy will backfire

Always eager for more revenue, the Taiwanese government is now seeking to take from the rich with a proposed new “luxury tax.” Estimated to be capable of generating NT$15 billion ($511 million) a year, the proposed new tax is intended to close the ever-widening wealth gap and curb real property speculation, which has been rampant since Taiwan’s economic fortunes began turning around last year.The

March 8, 2011

[Laura Ling] North Korea: A nation in the dark

Around the world, authoritarian regimes have tried to keep their citizens from hearing news of the protests raging throughout the Middle East and in their own countries. Some have tried shutting down cellphone and Internet service, but that has only sparked new flames of anger and discontent.Even the Chinese government, which has unleashed the most sophisticated Internet blocking system in the wor

March 8, 2011

[Lee Jae-min] The Jessup Moot Court Competition

Phillip C. Jessup (1897-1986) was a long time law professor at Columbia University. When World War II ended, he was involved in the drafting process of the U.N. Charter and served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. He was then elected as a judge of the International Court of Justice in The Hague and served at the world court between 1961 and 1970.Although he died in 1986, his name has becom

March 8, 2011

[Lee Jae-min] The Jessup Moot Court Competition

[Hillary Rodham Clinton] Empowering women helps global growth

One of the biggest growth markets in the world may surprise you.You’ve heard about the opportunities opening up in countries like China, regions like Asia and industries like green technology. But one major emerging market hasn’t received the attention it deserves: women.Today, there are more than 200 million women entrepreneurs worldwide. Women earn more than $10 trillion every year, which is exp

March 8, 2011

[Hillary Rodham Clinton] Empowering women helps global growth