WASHINGTON ― U.S. policy toward Syria is caught between two conflicting imperatives: President Bashar al-Assad must go, and the killing must stop. Unfortunately, it’s probably impossible to have both. A more realistic formula is that Assad must go, and the killing will continue ― with the U.S. and its allies trying to limit collateral damage. Because the U.S. seeks Assad’s ouster, the Obama administration should focus more on “the day after” ― including the near-certainty that violence will pers

TEL AVIV ― During World War II, Winston Churchill famously drew a distinction between “the end of the beginning” and “the beginning of the end.” That distinction is equally applicable to the unfolding Syrian crisis. Recent events ― the growing number of high-level defections from the regime’s leadership, the killing of three of President Bashar al-Assad’s most senior officials in a bomb attack, and the rebellion’s spread into Damascus itself ― suggest that, after a long period of gradual decline

Two main ideological foundations of South Korea, Western democracy and Western capitalism, have emerged as two biggest campaign issues in the presidential election. The people are divided on the meanings of these two constitutional orders. The conservatives maintain that since Western democracy is the political system of South Korea, any persons who advocate pro-North Korea policies are worshippers, if not agents, of North Korea and therefore they should either immigrate to North Korea or be sub

I recently attended a lecture by a distinguished man of letters. A poet, novelist, playwright and literary critic, this man also edits journals, directs literary festivals, collaborates on documentary projects, teaches full time at a university and is raising a family. When an audience member asked how he managed to find the time for all these things, he said, “Everything I do is in the interests of making time for my true passion: watching TV.”He was addicted, he said, to “Damages”and“Downton A

Media outlets these days are speculating on a young woman who frequently accompanies new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his on-the-spot guidance and encouragement visits to military and civilian installations. When she first appeared on North Korean TV, she was thought to be his sister, but it now looks more likely that she could be his wife or fiance.Asked about her identity, the state intelligence agency offers no clear answer. Although it was seven months ago at the time of Kim Jong-il’s

The European Union’s imposition of tough sanctions against Iran starting from July 1 is really pushing Korea into a corner. One of the core elements of Brussels’ sanctions is to prohibit insurance companies in the EU from providing coverage for foreign tankers transporting oil shipments from Iran. As Korean tankers are insured or re-insured by big name insurance companies in Europe, this sanction is virtually halting Korea’s oil importation from Iran. No insurance simply means no seafaring. In 2

Sometimes a taxi driver can completely ruin or significantly upgrade a tourist’s impression of a country. When I was a British Council scholar at Oxford 20 years ago, my family and I had the chance to travel to Scotland by train. Upon our arrival at Glasgow Station, we took a taxi to check into the Hilton Hotel, which was reserved for us by the British Council. Although the Hilton was in close proximity to the train station, it was not until later that we realized this since we were foreign to t