WASHINGTON ― By appointing Prince Bandar bin Sultan as its new intelligence chief, Saudi Arabia has installed what looks like a war Cabinet at a time of rising tensions with Iran and growing internal dissent from its Shiite minority. The Saudis have also heightened their alert level in other ways to prepare for possible regional conflict. Some Saudi military and security personnel were mobilized last month ― called back from summer leave or told to cancel planned vacations. One explanation of th

A huge lizard creeping along the ruins of the old wall of Seoul or a UFO bisected upon landing near the East Gate: These are some of the rather queer impressions people have of the Dongdaemun Design Plaza now under construction at the site of the East Gate Stadium. Under the scorching sun, workers are wrapping the curved outer walls of the structure with silvery metal panels, leaving the roof sections to be covered with grass. The plaza is one of the three main design projects of former Seoul Ma

Pan-European efforts are being mobilized to help its automobile industry rebound from a lackluster performance amid fierce competition in the European car market. The pinnacle of this effort is CARS 21 (standing for “Competitive Automotive Regulatory System for the 21st Century”), a high-level advisory group for the European Commission comprising experts from both public and private sectors, which was established to recommend action plans to enhance the competitiveness of European automobile man

Early modern architecture has greatly influenced not only the arts but also society as a whole today. Its effects, however, have not been advantageous but detrimental for many, contributing mostly to the dehumanization of society.One distinctly negative characteristic of architectural modernism is its emphasis on efficiency and simplicity. Following the notion that “form follows function,” a phrase originally coined by Frank Lloyd Wright’s mentor Louis Sullivan, modern architects began building

The worst economy since the Great Depression and you might think at least one of the candidates would come up with a few big ideas for how to get us out of it.But you’d be wrong. Neither candidate wants to take any chances by offering any large, serious proposals. Both are banking instead on negative campaigns that convince voters the other guy would be worse.President Obama has apparently decided against advancing any bold ideas for what he’d do in the second term, even if he has a Congress tha

Not even the Olympics are a sufficient distraction from the scandal of Jonah Lehrer. He’s the 31-year-old who rose to prominence writing such bestselling books as “Proust Was a Neuroscientist” and “How We Decide,” and delivering lucrative corporate lectures to go along with them.On Monday last week Lehrer admitted to fabrications and “improper combinations” of quotes in his latest book, “Imagine: How Creativity Works” ― specifically, material he’d attributed to Bob Dylan but in fact simply inven

NEWPORT BEACH ― The conventional wisdom about the November presidential election in the United States is only partly correct. Yes, economic issues will play a large role in determining the outcome. But the next step in the argument ― that the winner of an increasingly ugly contest will have the luxury of pursuing significantly different policies from his opponent ― is much more uncertain.By the time the next presidential term starts in January 2013, and contrary to the current narratives advance