The Korea Herald

[Kim Seong-kon] English proficiency needed in the globalizing world

Jul 10, 2012

In Korea many people tend to mistake English professors for language and grammar instructors. That is why whenever people discover I am an English professor, they begin to ask many questions about what they can do to study and learn English. It never occurs to them that I am a scholar of English literature, not an English teacher. Even if they knew however, they would think, “English literature is written in the English language, so what difference does it make?” One of the questions people ask
[Robert B. Reich] The true meaning of patriotism

Jul 9, 2012

Recently I publicly debated someone who said Arizona and every other state should use whatever means necessary to keep out illegal immigrants. He wants English to be spoken in every classroom in the nation, and the Pledge of Allegiance recited every morning. And he wants to restore every dollar of the $500 billion in defense cuts scheduled to start in January. “We have to preserve and protect America,” he said. “That’s the meaning of patriotism.”For my debating partner, patriotism is about secur
U.S. needs wiggle room to escape UNESCO trap

Jul 9, 2012

The Church of the Nativity in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem could use a few repairs, but is it in peril? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization says so, having declared the church an endangered World Heritage site two weeks ago. Palestinians made hay arguing that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank threatened the humble church, said to mark the birthplace of Christ. A U.N. expert committee disagreed, concluding it faced no danger. The United States objected to
Devaluing the pound isn’t a solution, it’s default

Jul 9, 2012

Greece’s inability to devalue its currency is often cited as a reason for the extreme economic pain its citizens are enduring, and many commentators say the country should return to the drachma to restore competitiveness. In the U.K., which ― unlike Greece ― isn’t part of the euro area and can devalue if it wishes, there’s growing pressure to do so. A letter recently circulated to some 3,000 influential figures proposed deliberately weakening the British pound to boost exports and hence economic
National debt: America’s top real security threat

Jul 9, 2012

Drones, kill lists, computer viruses and administration leaks are all the rage in the current political debate. They indeed merit serious scrutiny at a time when the rules of war, and technologies available for war, are changing fast. That said, these issues are not the foreign policy centerpiece of the 2012 presidential race.Economic renewal and fiscal reform have become the preeminent issues, not only for domestic and economic policy but for foreign policy as well. As the former chairman of th
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] Will eurozone governments be willing but unable?

Jul 9, 2012

NEWPORT BEACH ― When it comes to describing Europe’s ever-worsening crisis, metaphors abound. For some, it is five minutes to midnight; for others, Europe is a car accelerating towards the edge of a cliff. For all, a perilous existential moment is increasingly close at hand.Optimists ― fortunately, there remain a few, especially in Europe itself ― believe that when the situation becomes really critical, political leaders will turn things around and put Europe back on the path of economic growth,
Public service makes Nigerian governor a target

Jul 8, 2012

By most accounts, Adams Oshiomhole is the most popular governor Nigeria’s Edo state has ever had. He is up for reelection next week, and the outcome could go one of three ways: Ruling-party thugs will kill him, as they have already twice tried to do ― including once last week. They will steal the election, as is the nation’s custom. Or, the least likely, Oshiomhole will be declared the winner.“They have not had a transparent election in a very long time,” Oshiomhole told me in an interview.You s
[Howard Davies] One big union raises questions

Jul 8, 2012

PARIS ― In the last few weeks, the idea of establishing a European banking union has become the latest remedy advanced as a solution to the long-running euro crisis. But, whatever the merits of a banking union ― and there are many ― proposals to establish one raise more questions than can currently be answered.The motivations of those who advocate a banking union differ markedly. For some, particularly in southern Europe, it is seen as a means of shifting the burden of supporting their indigent
Breast-feeding won’t make your children smarter

Jul 8, 2012

Advocates of so-called attachment parenting take an all-encompassing approach: assiduous attention to a child’s every need, including prolonged breast-feeding. But those who claim that these practices benefit children’s intelligence miss an important point. A child’s biggest advantage arises from having the family resources that make such care giving possible in the first place. In this sense, attachment parenting is a trend among families whose children need it least ― the affluent. Fortunately
The rise of the spy-next-door

Jul 8, 2012

Improved technology is changing the spy game, merging once-disparate roles in the intelligence field and favoring an increased download of traditional spy roles to the private sector.This week, Canada’s Postmedia News cited a speech by Richard Fadden, the head of Canada’s spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in which he acknowledged this new reality.Fadden added that analysts must be well-read across various subject matters, and be creative enough to imagine threats that have
[Brahma Chellaney] India’s American Friends and Iranian Partners

Jul 8, 2012

NEW DELHI -- The United States recently took the Iran-sanctions monkey off India’s back: it granted India an exemption from Iran-related financial sanctions in exchange for significant cuts in Indian purchases of Iranian oil. Nevertheless, Iran continues to cast a pall over an otherwise brightening U.S.-India relationship.From India’s perspective, Iran is an important neighbor with which it can ill afford to rupture its relationship. Indeed, India already seems locked geographically in an arc of
What’s wrong with ‘plagiarizing’ your own work?

Jul 6, 2012

Jonah Lehrer is a science writer who at age 30 is at the top of his game. He has written three books, two of them bestsellers, his articles and columns run in the country’s best newspapers and magazines and he has parlayed his publishing success into online celebrity and star billing on the speaking circuit.But two weeks ago, just after he moved from Wired magazine to the New Yorker, the most desirable billet in literary journalism, Lehrer got a sour dose of notoriety: He was drawn into a fierce
[David Ignatius] On enrichment, Iran digs in

Jul 6, 2012

WASHINGTON ― The text of Iran’s negotiation proposal to the “P5+1” group last month makes clear what Iran’s “red lines” are in the nuclear talks, and where it might be willing to compromise. The Iranian PowerPoint presentation, obtained from a source close to the talks, stresses Iran’s status as a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, including the right to enrich uranium. Iranian negotiators devoted the first part of their presentation in Moscow to this topic, under the title: “Why enrichm
Financial institutions never chastened

Jul 6, 2012

Lord Acton may have been right and corruption is really a function of power. But the seemingly endless parade of banking scandals in recent months suggests that money is every bit as corrosive.Last week, the British bank Barclays provided more compelling evidence when it agreed to pay $453 million to U.S. and British authorities to settle allegations that it manipulated key interest rates ― and the Barclays settlement is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg of this scandal. Plainly, the system
Manila’s new provocations

Jul 6, 2012

Evidence abounds that Manila remains obsessed with playing the role of troublemaker in the South China Sea. In its latest attempt to raise tensions over Huangyan Island, Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Monday that his country may ask the United States to deploy spy planes over the South China Sea. This clearly shows Manila is determined to drag Washington into its maritime disputes with China. By seeking backup from the U.S. in its quarrel with Beijing, Manila has ignored the