NEW DELHI ― There is something about the number five in Sino-Indian relations. Asia’s two giants have long defined their relationship in terms of the famous Pancha Sheela: mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty; mutual non-aggression; mutual non-interference in each other’s internal affairs; equality and mutual benefit; and peaceful co-existence.Now China’s new leaders have enunciated a new Pancha Sheela, with President Xi Jinping offering a “five-point proposal” f

The Supreme Court of South Korea opened up its courtroom to live television for the first time Thursday. Considering the murky image that many South Koreans have of their judiciary and the positive effect live courtroom television has for transparency and fairness, this is an encouraging development for democracy and for judicial legitimacy in South Korea.Unfortunately rather than airing one of the many cases of corruption between politicians and the chaebol or any one of hundreds of cases invol

English speakers have a humorous warning for those who love donuts, candy, and various other sweets: “A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”The maxim serves as a reminder to all those with a sweet tooth that the pleasure of a donut is evanescent, but its effect on one’s waistline will be long lasting. In Korea, we have a similar proverb that says, “It may be sweet on the mouth, but bitter in your stomach.” Another maxim claims, “All good medicines are bitter on the mouth.” These maxims w

BAGHDAD ― Ten years have passed since Saddam Hussein was removed from power, following more than three decades of tyrannical rule. The dream of Iraqis after Saddam’s fall was to build a new, prosperous, and democratic Iraq. A country at peace with itself and its neighbors, with a constitution upholding basic human rights and the rule of law, was the desire of almost everyone.But the United States and its allies, lacking a coherent vision of Iraq’s future, much less a sound policy for the post-Sa

BARCELONA ― In recent months, the dichotomy between booming financial markets, on the one hand, and sluggish economies and dysfunctional politics, on the other, has loomed large. Yet insufficient attention is being devoted to a critical factor ― time, and who controls it ― that could well mean the difference between an orderly global resolution of today’s growing inconsistencies and a return to a more troubled phase.Markets have been understandably buoyant in the first quarter of 2013. Most econ

WASHINGTON ― Sen. John McCain’s “Straight Talk Express” has been in the repair shop for a while, but it sure was rolling last week during an interview. The main theme was that Republicans should end their self-isolation and “start working for the American people.” Journalists have always had a soft spot for McCain when he’s in the mode of bipartisan conciliator. And I don’t want to overstate the evidence of an hour-long conversation the other day in McCain’s Senate office. He remains a complex a