MANILA ― As the slowdown in the world’s major industrial economies drags on, growth in developing Asia is being affected. A serious burden will likely be placed on the region’s major economies, particularly its two giants, India and China. Both countries’ external sectors have clearly been hit hard, while domestic consumption is stagnating. Fixed-asset investment in India rose by only 2.3 percent in the first half of 2012, compared to 9 percent in the year-earlier period.Unlike China, which has

WASHINGTON ― A sign of Russia’s defensiveness, bordering on paranoia, is that some senior Russian officials regard the recent buzz about shale gas and oil as American propaganda designed to undermine Moscow’s clout as an energy producer. Vladimir Putin’s Russia has a chip on its shoulder, for sure. It’s a big weight of resentment, reflecting the crushed ambitions of a fallen superpower. But Russia still has big shoulders, too. It’s a country that, for all its ills, has the ability to assist or o

As a “vertical” change of government is now taking place in Korea with power being transferred within the same party, change of policies cannot be too phenomenal. The eyes and ears of the nation are drawn to the names of people who will lead the country together with the new president.The transition period is a great time for voyeurism. All sorts of personal matters of the appointees are exposed not only to the National Assemblymen in confirmation hearings but for the whole nation anxious to mak

Evolution does not take place only in nature. Nor is it just confined to human societies. Evolution also takes place in words and their meaning, in particular when we attempt to apply all kinds of noble covenants ― whether constitutions, laws or international agreements ― to specific situations at hand. Once codified, texts are set in stone, but the world we live in continues to change. A critical question then is, should words in these texts be understood as they were agreed upon at the time of

In the past, Koreans were generally known as a humorless, stern people who seldom smiled or joked. In fact, Koreans traditionally do not respect jokesters who tell funny stories or pull pranks. Koreans call a humorous man “a man without substance” or “a silly talker,” and tend to dismiss such individuals. Indeed, we think that humor should be reserved for comedians and clowns, not men of dignity and prudence. Thirty years ago, when I returned from the States and began teaching at Seoul National

MILAN ― A winter election is not to Italian tastes. But, on Feb. 24-25, up to 50 million voters will go to the polls to elect a new parliament, delivering Italy’s 62nd government in the last 65 years.Since November 2011, Italy has been led not by a politician, but by an academic economist and a former European Union commissioner, Mario Monti. His emergency technocratic government, supported by the left and right, was a masterstroke of outgoing President Giorgio Napolitano.Napolitano’s move was c