A photo of massive, foreboding, rocky mountains, barren except for a few bushes, with a truckload of soldiers carrying rifles is a lasting image I have of Afghanistan. I used the photo, clipped out of Time magazine, I think, to make a scrap book about various countries -- a middle school geography assignment. I don’t remember why I chose Afghanistan, among all the other countries that started with the letter A. Perhaps because this was in the early 1980s and the country was much in

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan has already deepened conflicts elsewhere, including Europe, where a confrontation is escalating between Belarus and its European Union neighbors: Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Even before the meltdown in Kabul, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had been funneling refugees and migrants across the border, both to exact revenge for EU sanctions on his dictatorship and to generate some additional revenue. Belarusian authorities have organized flights

He was a “flying general,” tactfully eluding and attacking Japanese forces. But to the men under his command, he was “Boss Hong,” a simple expression of their affection and respect for a commander who shared their toils and led them to victory. Despite his remarkable role in armed resistance against Japanese colonizers from the late 19th to the early 20th century, Hong Beom-do became more of an enigma than a hero. The ideological chasm and power struggles between North

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change leaves no doubt: Global warming will continue until at least 2050, even if greenhouse gas emissions are drastically reduced in the coming decades. If they are cut too slowly, the kinds of heat waves, droughts, heavy rains and flooding experienced this summer will become more frequent. More catastrophic outcomes, such as abrupt, irreversible changes in oceanic circulation, cannot be ruled out. Fortunately, the public is increa

Presidents, generals, dictators and ordinary people take big risks when they have nothing to lose, similar to a football quarterback throwing a so-called Hail Mary pass. But the consequences of such a strategy in politics, war and business are usually more serious than the outcome of a football game. In the Middle East, for example, it has produced continuous conflict because the warring parties feel as though they have nothing to lose. The brokerage firm TD Ameritrade’s annual collegiat

We tend to assume that we know America quite well. Actually, however, we do not. After the recent withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, for example, some Korean opinion leaders wrote that America had been “defeated” in the war in Afghanistan. Yet, that is far from what most Americans think. Even the Taliban would not put it that way. Such an argument derives from misunderstandings about America. Recently, Henry Kissinger wrote about why America “failed” in Afgha

The world has finally awoken to the existential imperative of securing a rapid transition to a green economy. Finance will play a pivotal role in that process. But while financial institutions have made a big show of doing their part -- issuing green bonds and installing green lightbulbs -- far too many continue to provide capital to the fossil-fuel industry and support other parts of the economy that are incompatible with a green transition. Such financing actively fuels the climate crisis. M

Reports from Washington and Kabul show the extent to which the Biden administration has been counting on the Taliban to facilitate the US withdrawal from Afghanistan -- and, apparently, to keep up the fight against IS-Khorasan, the local franchise of the Islamic State group, after the Americans are gone. The White House and Pentagon believe that the new rulers in Kabul share their eagerness for a speedy evacuation: a “common purpose,” in the words of Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander

Games are like an “electronic fungus” that spreads around the country, posing problems for the education of children. Games are so addictive that they hinder the healthy formation of character and even increase youth crime. In short, gaming is a “hotbed for the derailment of youth.” Those are just a few of the supposedly harmful effects of gaming on children, as described by a local newspaper in 1980. The deeply negative perception about games and their impact on youth

To Koreans, Aug. 15 marks the end of Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. It is celebrated as a national holiday in South and North Korea alike. As South Koreans were enjoying a three-day weekend in the middle of summer, news spread quickly that Taliban soldiers had captured Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and had overthrown the government. The sudden collapse caught the US government off guard and caused sharp criticism, both in the US and around the world, of President Joe Biden&rsquo

Finance ministers, central bank governors, and political leaders are hard at work preparing for the 2021 G-20 Heads of State and Government Summit in Rome on Oct. 30-31. With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching well into its second year, the meeting will come at a time of heightened uncertainty about public health and the global economy. And though the mechanisms of international cooperation have been weakened by the pandemic and remain bruised by former US President Donald Trump’s legacy, th

With the next presidential election in South Korea about six months away, whoever wants a change of power from the left to the right must find his or her confidence thinning day by day. Opinion surveys reveal that more than half of the population does not approve of what the present administration has done during its five-year tenure. But pollsters and analysts warn that 50-plus percentage figures in favor of a change of power do not necessarily mean that an opposition victory is assured next s

One of my great concerns about the pandemic was that it would hinder the global mobility of people and labor, perhaps permanently. Unfortunately, my worst fears are being realized: As COVID mutates, it is affecting not only tourism and business travel but migration more generally. Consider that after the end of the Vietnam War, the US took in more than 1 million Vietnamese migrants over a 20-year period. After the Soviet Union withdrew its troops in Afghanistan, the US also took in many Afghani

The news that the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development recently upgraded South Korea from a “developing country” to a “developed country” elated the Korean people greatly. Although the new title may not sound particularly fancy and South Korea may have been a developed country for some time already, Koreans still appreciate the official recognition by the UNCTAD and take it as more than a friendly gesture. Indeed, South Korea has come a long way to earn the

Is there really a Taliban 2.0? At the triumphant insurgent group’s first press conference in Kabul, a spokesman promised something akin to sweet reasonableness, in turn prompting something akin to optimism that the militia’s mindset has changed over the past 20 years. Listen! They’re talking about allowing women to work! But the reassurances of Zabiullah Mujahid about the new, improved Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan should be treated with caution. There is every chance that th