The Korea Herald

U.N. hypocrisy exposed in case of murdered Kurd

ViewpointsOct 13, 2011

Remind me, again, why we care about what the United Nations thinks? That question isn’t prompted by the recent exertions of the Palestinians to achieve the facsimile of independence by asking the U.N. to tell them they are independent. Palestinians deserve actual independence, as opposed to symbolic
[Javier Solana] UNSC: Failing the Syria test

ViewpointsOct 13, 2011

MADRID ― On Oct. 2 in Istanbul, Syria’s disparate opposition movements gave the go-ahead for the formation of a “Syrian National Council.” This is the most important step yet taken by the fragmented forces that have been trying since May to lead a peaceful uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’
Distracted? Don’t blame Steve Jobs

ViewpointsOct 13, 2011

I am making a chicken for dinner. But it is taking a long time to roast, and as I open the door to poke at it, I wonder if something is wrong.Also, we need oven cleaner, I tell my husband, who is sitting at the table typing on one of his many gadget things. Laundry detergent too, he says, not lookin
Science and religion: A false divide in U.S.

ViewpointsOct 13, 2011

Rick Perry has generated a lot of ink lately ― for trumpeting his religious faith and for his attacks on evolution and global warming. I have no magic insight into the mind of the candidate jockeying for the GOP nomination, and I’m not a member of the religious right. But, as a sociologist studying
[Fernando Henrique Cardoso] Lessons European Union needs to learn from Brazil

ViewpointsOct 13, 2011

SAO PAULO ― For those of us in developing countries who over the years became reluctant experts on the subject of financial crises, the latest wave of turmoil in the global financial system is, regrettably, not a surprise. In large part, the prescriptions and recommendations that so-called experts m
[Editorial] Credit card row

EditorialOct 12, 2011

The Financial Supervisory Commission is under fire for its plan to allow small retailers and merchants to refuse credit card payments for small-value transactions under 10,000 won.The commission’s plan is intended to address the long-running resentment of small, self-employed shop owners toward cred
[David Ignatius] The quiet U.S. diplomat in Syria

ViewpointsOct 12, 2011

WASHINGTON ― If you’re wondering what diplomats can do in an era of pulverizing military force and instantaneous communications, consider the case of Robert Ford, the U.S. ambassador to Syria. He has been meeting with the Syrian opposition around the country, risking his neck ― and in the process in
An attempt to show off Chicago’s musical history

ViewpointsOct 12, 2011

When it comes to great American music, the Second City might as well be called the Seventh City.Chicago has a thriving music scene with scores of jazz, blues, folk and rock clubs. But Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Austin, Detroit, and even Kansas City, Mo., seem to have embraced their music herit
Judge’s murder shows Rio’s ‘problem of the decade’

ViewpointsOct 12, 2011

Even in a city as murderous as Rio de Janeiro, the killing of Judge Patricia Acioli on Aug. 12 was a shock. According to police she was ambushed by two motorbikes and at least one car as she returned to her condominium that morning, and killed in a hail of 21 bullets. She left behind three children.
Helping Egypt move toward democracy, maket economy

ViewpointsOct 12, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. ― Egypt’s revolution toppled a dictator in February, but the country’s future as a stable, functioning democracy remains uncertain. The West is, of course, limited in its ability to shape the transition process. Nonetheless, the potential for constructive influence remains considera
[Mikhail Gorbachev] Seize the moment to bid farewell to nuclear arms

ViewpointsOct 12, 2011

MOSCOW ― Twenty-five years ago this month, I sat across from Ronald Reagan in Reykjavik, Iceland, to negotiate a deal that would have reduced, and could have ultimately eliminated by 2000, the fearsome arsenals of nuclear weapons held by the United States and the Soviet Union.For all our differences
[Editorial] Curbing carbon emissions

EditorialOct 12, 2011

Korea has begun to take concrete steps to deliver on its pledge to voluntarily reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, the government announced a plan to cut the nation’s carbon emissions in 2020 by 30 percent from the projected business-as-usual level or 4 percent below its 2005 level. On Monday,
[Editorial] U.S. military discipline

EditorialOct 11, 2011

News pictures showing a U.S. Army general in camouflage fatigues on a nightly inspection of the Itaewon district of Seoul taking a team of MPs along were impressive enough to convince the host Koreans of earnest efforts of U.S. military authorities to keep their young soldiers from making trouble. L
[Editorial] Lee’s U.S. visit

EditorialOct 11, 2011

Although it was not originally planned that way, President Lee Myung-bak’s official state visit to Washington is about to coincide with the vote on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement bill in U.S. Congress. It may also be said that the congressional process for the ratification of the bilateral FTA
[Trudy Rubin] Pakistan must choose: Halt terror, or pay the price

ViewpointsOct 11, 2011

This week marks the 10th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. U.S. troops are starting to leave. And NATO is supposed to turn over security responsibility to Afghans by the end of 2014 ― although the Afghan army is far from ready to counter Taliban violence.Yet the most potent threat to Afghanista