The Korea Herald

[Shlomo Ben Ami] The decline of the West revisited

ViewpointsFeb 10, 2012

MADRID ― Since the publication in 1918 of the first volume of Oswald Spengler’s The Decline of the West, prophecies about the inexorable doom of what he called the “Faustian Civilization” have been a recurrent topic for thinkers and public intellectuals. The current crises in the United States and Europe ― the result primarily of U.S. capitalism’s inherent ethical failures, and to Europe’s dysfunction ― might be seen as lending credibility to Spengler’s view of democracy’s inadequacy, and to his
Don’t let Futenma relocation stalemate become permanent

ViewpointsFeb 10, 2012

It is not a bad idea for the Japanese and U.S. governments to prevent the relocation of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station and the transfer of marines stationed in Okinawa Prefecture to Guam from both collapsing.The two governments have agreed in principle to revise the 2006 realignment project for U.S. forces in Japan.The plan for the relocation of marines to Guam will be scaled back from 8,000 marines to 4,700. The Futenma base relocation will be separated from the marines’ Guam reloca
[Kevin Rudd] Work on tomorrow’s Pax Pacifica

ViewpointsFeb 10, 2012

CANBERRA ― Although the relationship between China and the United States is critical to Asia’s future, this does not mean that the region will become a Sino-American duopoly. The concept of a “G2” is never going to fly in Asia.To begin with, excluding China, Asia’s combined GDP is roughly equivalent to that of the U.S., and it vastly exceeds that of China. Furthermore, Japan remains the world’s third-largest economy, while economies like India, South Korea, Indonesia, and Australia are growing r
Avoiding civil war in Syria

Feb 10, 2012

When China joined hands with Russia on Saturday to veto an Arab-European draft U.N. resolution backing an Arab League plan to promote a regime change in Syria, its stance was consistent with its approach to international issues. The draft resolution that sought to realize a regime change in Syria did not adequately reflect the state of affairs in this Middle East country. In putting the resolution to the vote, Western powers hoped to further exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to
Beijing, Moscow cowardice should be punished

ViewpointsFeb 10, 2012

Thirty years to the day that Hafez al-Assad’s Syria began a massacre of at least 10,000 people in Hama, another one took place in Homs, and two of the world’s biggest countries did nothing to prevent a third. In Hama, some paid tribute to those who were killed in 1982, throwing red dye into the city’s ancient water wheels on the Orontes River, and spray painting “Hafez died, and Hama didn’t. Bashar will die, and Hama won’t.” Bashar refers to current Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, succinctly desc
Japan‘s population time bomb ticking

ViewpointsFeb 10, 2012

A population trend estimate announced on Jan. 30 by the health and welfare ministry’s National Institute of Population and Social Security Research shows that in 2060, Japan’s population will fall to about 30 percent below the current level, while people aged 65 or older will account for 40 percent of the population. It is imperative that the government take effective measures to make it easier for young people to be able to afford to marry and raise a family.As Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda sai
[Editorial] Speed up the probe

EditorialFeb 10, 2012

The president has constitutional protection against criminal action. The speaker of the National Assembly has no such device. Still, prosecutors are required to take utmost caution before initiating a criminal inquiry into a case involving the speaker, the head of one of the three separate branches of government.In this regard, the prosecutors’ office did well when it decided to wait until Rep. Park Hee-tae resigned from his office of speaker of the National Assembly. Now that he has tendered hi
[Editorial] For alliance’s sake?

EditorialFeb 10, 2012

The main opposition Democratic United Party is crafting its electoral strategies for an alliance with far-left groups. That is understandable, given that the center-left party believes it vital to ally itself with a minor labor party, anti-government civic groups and labor activists if it is to win the April parliamentary elections and the December presidential election.One such strategy is for the party to pledge to abrogate the Korean-U.S. free trade agreement if it is not revised in the way i
[Editorial] Chaebeol bashing

EditorialFeb 9, 2012

Korea’s top 10 conglomerates employ about 2 million people in all. You may double or triple this number to estimate the total size of people directly dependent on the large businesses called “chaebol.” If you regard all adults in this category as the sympathetic force toward chaebol, they would still remain a tiny minority in Korea’s political arithmetic. So, parties don’t have to be too cautious in joining the bandwagon of chaebol bashing, which seems likely to gain more votes to than it loses.
[Editorial] Sluggish registration

EditorialFeb 9, 2012

Election management officials report that some 90,000 Korean residents overseas have registered with Korean missions abroad during the past three months to participate in the April 11 National Assembly election as absentee voters. They account for about 4 percent of the total 2,233,000 Koreans living outside the country who still have their Korean citizenship. The registration rate is lowest in the Americas where the overwhelming majority are permanent emigrants. In the Middle East, where most K
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] Pursuing sustainable humanity

ViewpointsFeb 9, 2012

ADDIS ABABA ― Sustainable development means achieving economic growth that is widely shared and that protects the earth’s vital resources. Our current global economy, however, is not sustainable, with more than one billion people left behind by economic progress and the earth’s environment suffering terrible damage from human activity. Sustainable development requires mobilizing new technologies that are guided by shared social values.U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has rightly declared susta
[Nathan Gardels] Monti’s ‘depoliticized democracy’ a harbinger for West

ViewpointsFeb 9, 2012

ROME ― Making my way from Milan to Rome in recent days, I experienced firsthand the rancorous process under way to deleverage Italy’s sovereign debt and impose more competitive habits on the languorous rhythms of this Mediterranean culture.Angry truckers blocked the main highways, drivers left their taxis standing, and most trains were canceled. Students scrawled “f--k austerity” slogans across peeling, ocher-colored walls. Surly shopkeepers only brightened at the sight of mid-winter gaggles of
[Meghan Daum] Memed, and proud of it

ViewpointsFeb 9, 2012

Say what you will about the latest Internet video sensation ― in which someone lampoons one group of humans or another based on certain conversational proclivities ― but if nothing else, we can credit it with bringing mainstream awareness to the word “meme.” That’s the term coined by Richard Dawkins for the way evolutionary principles can be used to explain how cultural ideas take hold. It’s now basically turned into a fancy way of talking about things that are popular on the Internet. This incl
School nutrition: A kid’s right to choose

ViewpointsFeb 9, 2012

Last fall, Los Angeles took a hard line on school nutrition. In an attempt to mold better eating habits in kids, the Los Angeles Unified School District eliminated flavored milk, chicken nuggets and other longtime childhood favorites. But instead of making kids healthier, the changes sent students fleeing from school cafeterias. There have been reports of a thriving trade in black-market junk food, of pizzas delivered to side doors and of family-size bags of chips being brought from home. Garbag
Who reviews the U.S. ‘kill list’ of terrorists?

ViewpointsFeb 9, 2012

When it comes to national security, Michael V. Hayden is no shrinking violet. As CIA director, he ran the Bush administration’s program of warrantless wiretaps against suspected terrorists.But the retired air force general admits to being a little squeamish about the Obama administration’s expanding use of pilotless drones to kill suspected terrorists around the world ― including, occasionally, U.S. citizens.“Right now, there isn’t a government on the planet that agrees with our legal rationale