LAHORE ― Pakistan’s moment of political truth is fast approaching. On May 11, some 40-50 million voters will elect a new national assembly. The outcome, preceded by a spike in extremist violence, is likely to reverberate far and wide.Pakistan’s homegrown terrorist groups know that the country is at a tipping point, and are attacking candidates and voters who favor a secular state. Hundreds of people have already been killed, and more will undoubtedly die before Election Day, targeted because, if

NEW YORK ― The United States Supreme Court recently began deliberations in a case that highlights a deeply problematic issue concerning intellectual-property rights. The court must answer the following question: Can human genes ― your genes ― be patented? Put another way, should someone essentially be permitted to own the right, say, to test whether you have a set of genes that imply a higher than 50 percent probability of developing breast cancer?To those outside the arcane world of intellectua

NEWPORT BEACH ― After years of tweaks, Japan has now initiated a major shift in its policy paradigm, with reactions ranging from great optimism that the country may finally be lifted out of a quarter-century of economic stagnation, to concerns that the authorities’ dramatic change of course may in fact end up making things worse. But, while debate naturally focuses on Japan’s economic, financial, and political maneuvers, the tipping point could well lie abroad.Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s new gov

This past week the College Board, which administers the U.S. Scholastic Aptitude Test, canceled the May administration of the test for the entire country of South Korea, and only for South Korea. The rest of the world took the test as scheduled. While the exact reasons were not explicitly described, an email communiqu to the applicants stated that it appeared likely that some prospective test takers here had already been exposed to some of the questions. Behind this delicate description is the f

Films are excellent cultural texts and social documents that record and reflect the social milieu of the times. Problems arise, however, when people misinterpret films. For example, if we mistakenly understood “Rain Man” simply as a story of an autistic savant, we would lose many other deep messages and symbols in the film, such as the importance of the American pastoral dream. The same thing goes for “Pretty Woman.” Ostensibly a story of a modern-day Pygmalion, this movie is actually a splendid

ABU DHABI/NEW YORK ― For a child, receiving a vaccine takes just a moment (and perhaps a few tears). But such moments are crucial for getting children off to a healthy start in life, and for advancing progress on global health and development goals.Along with Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, we attach great importance to the world’s first global summit, being held this week in Abu Dhabi, aimed at ensuring that all children have access to the full benefits of vac