The Korea Herald

[Peter Singer] Use and abuse of religious freedom

Jun 22, 2012

MELBOURNE ― What are the proper limits of religious freedom? Marianne Thieme, leader of the Party for the Animals in the Netherlands, offers this answer: “Religious freedom stops where human or animal suffering begins.”The Party for the Animals, the only animal-rights party to be represented in a national parliament, has proposed a law requiring that all animals be stunned before slaughter. The proposal has united Islamic and Jewish leaders in defense of what they see as a threat to their religi
Rio+20: Gut realities

Jun 22, 2012

Today the United Nations’ Rio+20 summit formally opens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. About 50,000 people in all have converged on Rio for the conference and its side events. Imagine the words that will spew forth from the leaders and representatives of some 190 countries attending the summit, not to mention the reams of documents and position papers that the world’s nongovernment organizations and civil society and political groups will add to the hubbub.But even before today’s opening, perhaps the
After the Greek vote, euro crisis goes into extra time

Jun 22, 2012

Greek voters gave Europe a bit of a reprieve by not voting to tear up the nation’s loan agreements. As it is, most have chosen to stay in the euro zone, but that remains a wish without much leverage in renegotiations for less punishing austerity terms. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, whose party won the biggest share of the votes, might now find it less difficult to form a coalition government than after the election last month. But even with the socialist Pasok and Democratic Left parties
Malaysia needs action to avoid troubled waters

Jun 22, 2012

Today, parts of Malaysia are enveloped by the haze, a perennial problem that invites the usual comments.And the problem is compounded by the fact that demand for more water in the current dry spell could lead to shortages in certain areas.While the haze problem may be beyond our control, especially if they cross geographical and international boundaries, a country blessed with so much water resources should not have to deal with water shortage issues, whether now or in the future.But the ongoing
[Chodechai Suwanaporn] How will Thai banks be affected by the euro crisis?

Jun 22, 2012

Growth of bank credit in Thailand has been robust in recent years, and generally healthy balance sheets have helped buffer Thai banks against the gradual deleveraging by European banks that has occurred so far.Nevertheless, I think Thai banks remain potentially vulnerable to a large shock to foreign funding of the kind that occurred during the 2008 crisis.How could Thai banks be affected by the euro-zone crisis? With some of the major financial institutions in Europe in deep trouble, these Europ
[David Ignatius] Drone warfare or diplomacy?

Jun 21, 2012

WASHINGTON ― As America’s relationship with Pakistan has unraveled over the past 18 months, an important debate has been going on within the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad over the proper scope of CIA covert actions and their effect on diplomatic interests. The principals in this policy debate have been Cameron Munter, the U.S. ambassador since October 2010, and several CIA station chiefs who served with him. The technical issue was whether the ambassador, as chief of mission, had the authority to ve
Shimon Peres says two states for two peoples

Jun 21, 2012

The Middle East is ailing. The malady stems from pervasive violence, shortages of food, water and educational opportunities, discrimination against women and ― the most virulent cause of all ― the absence of freedom.There can be no peace without freedom. Economic growth is impossible without integration in the free global economy. Tragically, this simple logic eludes us in the Middle East.The young generation, which makes up most of the region’s population, insists on equal rights, access to edu
Cracking down on foreign worker abuse

Jun 21, 2012

In an economy that harnesses well over a million work-permit holders, a clear expression of fundamental employment rights is de rigueur. Fair contracts, safe working conditions and decent living arrangements reflect well on a society that is highly dependent on migrant labor. Existing legislation on this is being reviewed and the Manpower Ministry was right to seek public opinion on proposed amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.Different perspectives have to be taken into account
India and its Afghanistan project

Jun 21, 2012

I am shocked by the intemperate and unbecoming article ― Opportunists ready for Afghanistan ― by Joel Brinkley, said to be a professor of journalism at Stanford University, that appeared in your paper on Tuesday. The article betrays his appalling ignorance and bias to say the least.India and Afghanistan enjoy civilizational ties. Since 2001, despite being a developing country herself with per capita income of around $1500 per annum, India has provided $2 billion worth of developmental and econom
[Kenneth S. Choie] A civil society is good for economic prosperity

Jun 21, 2012

Most economists would say that the most crucial factors in economic growth are workforce, the quantity and quality of it, and capital. Often ignored is the subtle but crucially important role of culture, the way people in a society behave towards other members of the society. A case in point is the economic gap between the U.S. and Brazil: While both countries are endowed with abundant natural resources and filled with non-aboriginal people, Brazil has been unable to match the U.S. for all these
[Eli Park Sorensen] The lure of horror: Fulfilling innermost desire

Jun 21, 2012

In the opening scene of George Romero’s 1968-horror classic “Night of the Living Dead,” two characters ― Barbra and Johnny ― drive along a convoluted rural road. They’re visiting a desolate cemetery where their father lays buried. He has been dead for many years ― in fact so long that Johnny doesn’t even remember what he looks like. Barbra and Johnny are both adults now, living in a big city, far away from the place where they grew up. They’ve been making the annual trip to their father’s grave
Ideology: the problem drones cannot solve

Jun 20, 2012

I turned 20 years old sitting at a light table in a bright white building at a sprawling U.S. Air Force base in Saigon, South Vietnam. I was assigned to a reconnaissance unit, where my job was to select bombing targets in Cambodia. Then, as now, Cambodia did not have much in the way of traditional targets, and as an inexperienced targeteer, even when sober, I really had little idea what I was doing. That didn’t slow things down much.Given the means to attack ― B-52s flying miles high above the l
[Robert B. Reich] Billionaires’ big lie coup d’etat

Jun 20, 2012

JP Morgan, BP, Walmart, and the multibillionaire Koch brothers have just launched a TV advertisement blasting President Obama for the national debt.Actually, I don’t know who’s behind the ad because there’s no way to know. And that’s a big problem.The ad was paid for by Crossroads GPS, the sister organization to the super PAC American Crossroads run by Republican political operative Karl Rove. But because Crossroads GPS is a nonprofit, tax-exempt “social welfare organization,” it can spend unlim
Sharing knowledge through technology

Jun 20, 2012

Remarkable advances in information and communication technology (ICT) are affecting people’s lives in a variety of ways. With ICT, exchange of ideas and information can transcend great geographical distances and help realize the notion of a global village. Yet the benefits of ICT do not stop at providing global interconnectivity. It can provide valuable tools to achieve inclusive, sustainable development at a national and regional level. Instances of ICT being employed in areas including distanc
Reversing population decline in Japan

Jun 20, 2012

Demographic statistics findings made public on June 5 by the health and welfare ministry has confirmed what is already well known: Japan’s population will steadily decline unless effective measures are taken in a timely manner. The government and enterprises must waste no time in implementing policies that will encourage couples to have more children.The ministry said that the total fertility rate in 2011 ― the average number of children a woman will give birth to in her lifetime ― was 1.39, the