The Korea Herald

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] World Bank: Whose bank is it?

Apr 9, 2012

NEW YORK ― U.S. President Barack Obama’s nomination of Jim Yong Kim for the presidency of the World Bank has been well received ― and rightly so, especially given some of the other names that were bandied about. In Kim, a public-health professor who is now president of Dartmouth University and previously led the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department, the United States has put forward a good candidate. But the candidate’s nationality, and the nominating country ― whether small and poor
Quality human resources needed in nuclear fields

Apr 9, 2012

How can Japan secure and develop human resources who will work in the nuclear power field? This task needs to be jointly tackled by the government and the private sector.The number of students wishing to study nuclear power has declined since the crisis started last year at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. In addition, many young people have become reluctant to take jobs in nuclear-related industries.The seriousness of the Fukushima accident certainly
Good and bad news from the ASEAN summit

Apr 9, 2012

The 20th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, just ended with both good and bad news. On the positive side, recent developments in Myanmar clearly gave ASEAN something of which it can be proud. In the past, especially during the convening of an ASEAN summit, the grouping was always presented with a major embarrassment when questions were raised by the international community regarding the lack of tangible progress in ASEAN’s attempt to encour
[Shahid Javed Burki] Healing the sick man of South Asia

Apr 9, 2012

LAHORE ― Pakistan is undergoing three transitions simultaneously. How they unfold matters not only for Pakistan, but also for much of the Muslim world, particularly as the Arab Spring forces change upon governments across the wider Middle East.Most Muslim countries were governed for decades by autocrats who had either emerged directly from the armed forces, or had strong “khaki” support. That was the case in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and, of course, Pakistan.The Arab Spring drained away whatev
Healing the Sick Man of South Asia

Apr 9, 2012

Pakistan is undergoing three transitions simultaneously. How they unfold matters not only for Pakistan, but also for much of the Muslim world, particularly as the Arab Spring forces change upon governments across the wider Middle East.Most Muslim countries were governed for decades by autocrats who had either emerged directly from the armed forces, or had strong “khaki” support. That was the case in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and, of course, Pakistan.The Arab Spring drained away whatever spurio
Whose World Bank?

Apr 9, 2012

U.S. President Barack Obama’s nomination of Jim Yong Kim for the presidency of the World Bank has been well received -- and rightly so, especially given some of the other names that were bandied about. In Kim, a public-health professor who is now president of Dartmouth University and previously led the World Health Organization’s HIV/AIDS department, the United States has put forward a good candidate. But the candidate’s nationality, and the nominating country -- whether small and poor or large
Oil prices hostage to geopolitics

Apr 9, 2012

Oil prices and oil supply unambiguously tie China and the United States together, as both nations are heavy importers of oil. The United States imports about 65 percent of its oil and oil products, while China imports about 56 percent of its needs, which will undoubtedly increase over the next few years.The rising trend in oil prices over the past three years has by no means been a classic recession response and the climbing price of crude oil may undo the U.S.‘ fragile economic recovery and wil
‘Stand Your Ground’ invites vigilantism

Apr 8, 2012

The controversy surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin has officially entered the political football phase. Right-wingers have taken to disseminating a photograph of Martin meant to depict him less as a young, innocent boy and more as an original gangsta. That the photograph is a fake has only proved to be a minor obstacle. Meanwhile, others have taken to disseminating the personal information of Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, online. There are many problems with this tactic, ethical and
Yale can ensure rights on Singapore campus

Apr 8, 2012

In fall 2013, when the eager Yale freshmen converge on New Haven, Connecticut, they will be joined by classmates thousands of miles away on the school’s satellite campus in Singapore. A joint venture with the National University of Singapore, Yale-NUS promises to “draw on the best elements of the American liberal arts tradition, but reshape and reimagine the curriculum and collegiate experience for Asia.” What this reshaping and reimagining actually means has been a source of concern for many at
Status of English language in Thailand not important ― education is key issue

Apr 8, 2012

Lately there has been increasing debate about the status of the English language in Thai society.Many arguments are made for and against the relevance of English and its usefulness. Arguments made by Thai politicians take us back and forth about the role of English and distract us from the realities of this new century. This nationalistic faction believes that imposing the English language on Thai people is against their culture, heritage and unique identity. The same group also argues that Thai
[Robert Reich] Health care in dilemma of U.S. political compromise

Apr 8, 2012

If the Supreme Court decides the so-called “individual mandate” requiring everyone to buy health insurance is an unconstitutional extension of federal authority, the law starts unraveling. But with a bit of political jujitsu, President Obama could turn that defeat into a victory for a single-payer health care system ― Medicare for all.Here’s how.The dilemma at the heart of the new law is that it continues to depend on private health insurers, who have to make a profit or at least pay all their c
[Joel Brinkley] Frightening prospects for Afghan women

Apr 6, 2012

Half of all Afghans are utterly terrified, understandably so.At least 33,000 American troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan this year. And after all the justified fury over the burning of those Korans and the shooting deaths of those 17 women and children, talk is rife in Washington right now about accelerating the withdrawal.That leaves Afghan women scared to death. A nationwide survey of 1,000 of them by ActionAid, a nongovernmental organization, concludes: “A massive 86 percent are worrie
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] Hazard of second-best compromises

Apr 6, 2012

NEWPORT BEACH ― The international community risks settling for second best on two key issues to be discussed this month at global meetings in Washington, D.C.: the lingering (if currently somewhat dormant) European debt crisis, and the selection of the World Bank’s next president. It is not too late to change course, but doing so will require the United States and governments in Europe to resist harmful habits, and emerging countries to follow up effectively on recent initiatives.In the last few
Bomb attack unlikely to be the last of its kind

Apr 6, 2012

Nonetheless, people are doing their best to cope with this tragic situation. The Kingdom mourns for the victims and condemns the culprits behind these attacks.Now, the question is whether security officials and those in positions of power and authority have done their best to protect innocent citizens and whether they can prevent similar attacks from happening again.Top security officials seem not to be totally surprised by the weekend attacks. In fact, according to what Deputy Prime Minister Ge
End banks’ monopoly in China

Apr 6, 2012

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao emphasized, during his investigative tour on April 3 of enterprises in Fujian province facing financing problems, that the central authorities have “unified their thoughts” on the necessity of breaking the monopoly of state-owned banks and opening up the financial sector so that private capital can feed cash-starved smaller enterprises.Wen’s comments come hard on the heels of the announcement that Wenzhou will be the pilot for financial reforms that will allow local re