The Korea Herald

[Peter Singer] Should people live to 1,000?

Dec 12, 2012

PRINCETON ― On which problems should we focus research in medicine and the biological sciences? There is a strong argument for tackling the diseases that kill the most people ― diseases like malaria, measles, and diarrhea, which kill millions in developing countries, but very few in the developed world.Developed countries, however, devote most of their research funds to the diseases from which their citizens suffer, and that seems likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Given that constra
Asia-Pacific’s highly combustible mix

Dec 12, 2012

The recent East Asia summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, once again highlighted underlying regional tensions. We will come to that later. But first let us look at the background to all this. It basically stems from concerns about China’s rise, particularly whether or not it will be managed peacefully. Beijing certainly regards it as a peaceful development to correct the historical aberration of China’s humiliation by the colonial powers and Japan during the 19th and first half of the 20th century. T
[Kim Myong-sik] Time to end regional obsession with dictatorships

Dec 12, 2012

The people of Honam, comprising North and South Jeolla Provinces, have always had a sense of ostracism to varying degrees depending on individual sensibilities and circumstances. No one can clearly explain why; some attribute it to ancient monarchs’ distrust in the people of remote regions while many find more recent causes such as military rulers’ abhorrence about them as threats to their power.This latter reasoning is related to Kim Dae-jung’s challenge against President Park Chung-hee when he
Krugman, Krauthammer and their implied authors

Dec 12, 2012

There are real-world authors, and there are implied authors. Real-world authors are actual human beings, with their own distinctive characteristics, on display as they move through the world. Implied authors are the imaginary people whom authors create as they put words on a page. Implied authors have their own personalities ― their own sensibilities, characters, emotions, perspectives and concerns. Implied authors may or may not be like their real-world counterparts. A novelist may be cruel and
[Lee Jae-min] Who are subject to treaties?

Dec 11, 2012

One of the common misunderstandings about treaties (i.e., international agreements) is to believe that they bind all people and corporations of the contracting states. That is just wrong. Treaties only bind “governments” of the contracting states and do not reach private entities. So, individuals like you and me or corporations, big or small, are not bound by treaties that our governments sign. What bind us are the domestic laws that our governments adopt as a result of their obligations under t
Where will you be in 2030, America?

Dec 11, 2012

Uncertainty over how the U.S. will evolve over the next two decades makes its behavior a top “game-changer” of the international order. So say the authors of “Global Trends 2030: Alternative Worlds,” the latest quadrennial future-gazing exercise by the National Intelligence Council. The difficulty of predicting how a politically polarized U.S. will respond to the stiff domestic tests it faces is just one of six game-changers in this best guess by the intelligence community about the near-term wo
Endgame of Syria’s civil war draws near

Dec 11, 2012

Syria’s 20-month-long civil war appears to be approaching a tipping point as fighting around Damascus intensifies amid signs that President Bashar Assad’s grip on power may be weakening. As the final phase in the long conflict apparently draws nearer, the U.S. needs be prepared for the challenges it will face in a post-Assad Syria that, like Libya, could well remain unsettled for years after the dictator’s departure.In recent weeks, Syrian rebels have captured a number of strategic military base
Politics of pop music

Dec 11, 2012

South Korean pop singers and groups will not be part of the yearend NHK music show, “Kohaku Uta Gassen,” this year. When NHK announced its 50 performers for the singing extravaganza broadcast every New Year’s Eve, Korean performers were conspicuously absent.Fans and commentators claimed that the diplomatic conflict over the Takeshima Islands played a part in the decision. However, NHK said in a press release that the selection of artists for the 62nd annual program was based on artistic activiti
[Meghan Daum] Marking 20th anniversary of the text message

Dec 11, 2012

It was an especially fruitful week for rueful lamentations about “kids today.” Monday last week marked the 20th anniversary of the text message. Along with it came the predictable chorus of bellyaching about the demise of literacy, the shortening of attention spans and the rise of abbreviations and acronyms that take longer to decipher than it would to pick up the phone and have a real conversation.SMS, or short message service, technology dates to 1984, when a Finnish engineer named Matti Makko
[Kim Seong-kon] Overriding need to create jobs

Dec 11, 2012

Due to the severe worldwide economic recession, it seems to be extremely difficult to get a decent job these days virtually everywhere in the world. A few weeks ago, LTI Korea, of which I am president, advertized a job opening. To my surprise, 179 highly-qualified college graduates submitted applications for one opening and all of them exhibited stellar resumes such as a 940-960 TOEIC scores, a 3.8 GPA, ample overseas experience, and a B.A. or an M.A. from a top university. It was heartbreaking
Every day brings new drama in Middle East

Dec 10, 2012

We are witnessing the most extraordinary moment in the Middle East since I began following events there 25 years ago. Every day brings a new ground-breaking development ― things that would lead newspapers all by themselves, anytime, anywhere.The United Nations General Assembly vote on “Palestine” was perhaps the most amazing event. Only nine of 193 nations voted against the motion.Of course they included the United States and Israel. Add to that Canada, the Czech Republic and Panama. The rest we
[David Ignatius] Our autocratic man in Cairo

Dec 10, 2012

WASHINGTON ― How did Washington become the best friend of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, even as President Mohamed Morsi was asserting dictatorial powers and his followers were beating up secular liberals in the streets of Cairo? It’s a question many Arabs are asking these days and it deserves an answer. Morsi and his Brotherhood followers are on a power trip after decades of isolation and persecution. You could see that newfound status when Morsi visited the United Nations in September, and e
Big money still had destructive role in U.S. polls

Dec 10, 2012

The fears that big money would corrupt the political process in 2012 weren’t realized, the conventional wisdom says. The fat cats, unshackled by U.S. Supreme Court and lower court decisions, weren’t able to buy the presidency or the Senate. True. It also misses the point. About $6 billion was spent on the campaign, and outside groups poured $1.3 billion into political races, according to data from the Federal Election Commission and the Center for Responsive Politics. Supporters of the Citizens
The folly of DIA’s spy-recruiting spree

Dec 10, 2012

Wasn’t the U.S. defense budget supposed to be in for some belt-tightening by now? Whereas President Barack Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, waged war the old-fashioned way, with troops and tanks, Obama has been busy outsourcing the dirty work of protecting and furthering America’s interests to CIA drones, private contractors, local mobs with ties to terrorists, and even the French.It was looking as if the Department of Defense could pack up, because the administration didn’t leave it with mu
[Robert Reich] Why we must stop obsessing about budget deficit

Dec 10, 2012

I wish President Obama would explain to the nation that the federal budget deficit isn’t the nation’s major economic problem and deficit reduction shouldn’t be our major goal.Our biggest problem is lack of good jobs and sufficient growth. And our goal must be to revive both.Deficit reduction leads us in the opposite direction ― away from jobs and growth.The reason the “fiscal cliff” is dangerous (and it’s not really a “cliff” but more like a hill, because we won’t fall off it immediately on Jan.