The Korea Herald

[Michael Boskin] Europe still has difficult decisions ahead of it

Apr 1, 2012

BEIJING ― With the likelihood of a contagious sovereign-debt implosion and European bank failures greatly reduced by the Greek debt deal and the European Central Bank’s lending program, it is time to look ahead. Where do the European Union, the eurozone, and the EU’s highly indebted countries go from here? Will Europe be able to roll back its welfare states’ biggest excesses without economic distress and social unrest toppling governments and, in the peripheral countries, undermining already-ten
[David Ignatius] The appeal of a soft landing

Mar 30, 2012

WASHINGTON ― Maybe it’s time for Syrian revolutionaries to take “yes” for an answer from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and back a U.N.-sponsored “managed transition” of power there, rather than rolling on toward a civil war that will bring more death and destruction for the region. Syria announced Tuesday that it was ready to accept a peace plan proposed by U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan. The Syrian announcement in Beijing followed endorsement of the plan by China and Russia. The proposal has
Japan needs to tap its hidden strengths ― women

Mar 30, 2012

In the year since Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, the nation’s many deficits have been cast in stark relief. The budget deficit is widening as the cost of rebuilding the northeast mounts. The growth shortfall is worrying politicians more than ever and making it hard for Yoshihiko Noda, the sixth prime minister in five years, to keep his job. Deflation is a chronic downer. News that the trade gap disappeared last month was, for now at least, a rare hint that better days may lie ahead.
Administrative certainty is Hong Kong’s best bet

Mar 30, 2012

The election of Hong Kong’s third chief executive under Chinese sovereignty followed a well-worn pattern. The candidate favored by Beijing won. Earlier, however, there were some twists to the script. Just when the race appeared to be on auto-pilot, there surfaced revelations one would associate with boisterous democratic contests elsewhere. This will boost the expectations of Hong Kongers to directly elect their leader one day. But the overriding concern now is for administrative certainty so th
World leaders must stop N.K. missile launch

Mar 30, 2012

The second Nuclear Security Summit, which is being held in Seoul, is aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism.Top leaders and Cabinet members from 53 countries are participating in the summit, along with representatives from the United Nations and three other international organizations.The summit is considering what specific measures must be taken to prevent potential nuclear menaces from threatening world security.The leaders taking part in the summit must press North Korea, a country with a nucl
Stability is Hong Kong‘s best bet

Mar 30, 2012

The election of Hong Kong’s third chief executive under Chinese sovereignty followed a well-worn pattern. The candidate favored by Beijing won. Earlier, however, there were some twists to the script. Just when the race appeared to be on auto-pilot, there surfaced revelations one would associate with boisterous democratic contests elsewhere. This will boost the expectations of Hong Kongers to directly elect their leader one day. But the overriding concern now is for administrative certainty so th
Security and safety nexus

Mar 30, 2012

The two-day Seoul Nuclear Security Summit ended on Tuesday, with the leaders of 53 nations signing a document translating the political pledges on combating nuclear terrorism into concrete action plans. The leaders adopted the Seoul Communique at the end of the final session, which emphasized that participating countries have made “substantive progress” on the political commitments made at the first summit, but that sustained efforts are required to “address the issues of nuclear safety and nucl
World leaders must stop North Korea‘s missile launch

Mar 30, 2012

The second Nuclear Security Summit, which is being held in Seoul, is aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism.Top leaders and Cabinet members from 53 countries are participating in the summit, along with representatives from the United Nations and three other international organizations.The summit is considering what specific measures must be taken to prevent potential nuclear menaces from threatening world security.The leaders taking part in the summit must press North Korea, a country with a nucl
[David Ignatius] The appeal of a soft landing

Mar 30, 2012

WASHINGTON ― Maybe it’s time for Syrian revolutionaries to take “yes” for an answer from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and back a U.N.-sponsored “managed transition” of power there, rather than rolling on toward a civil war that will bring more death and destruction for the region. Syria announced Tuesday that it was ready to accept a peace plan proposed by U.N. special envoy Kofi Annan. The Syrian announcement in Beijing followed endorsement of the plan by China and Russia. The proposal has
Japan needs to tap its hidden strengths ? women

Mar 30, 2012

In the year since Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, the nation’s many deficits have been cast in stark relief. The budget deficit is widening as the cost of rebuilding the northeast mounts. The growth shortfall is worrying politicians more than ever and making it hard for Yoshihiko Noda, the sixth prime minister in five years, to keep his job. Deflation is a chronic downer. News that the trade gap disappeared last month was, for now at least, a rare hint that better days may lie ahead.
Taiwan stands to gain from one country, two areas

Mar 30, 2012

We all know what it means to break the law. It is perhaps the most fundamental fact governing our social behavior that we understand the constraints and the pressures to stay within the law and the consequences of not doing so.Kuomintang Honorary Chairman Wu Po-hsiung’s shocking “one country, two areas” remark, believed to be President Ma’s message, is precisely laying the groundwork for cross-strait relations, eliminating surprises and stepping forward from the current “1992 Consensus” toward i
[Jeffrey D. Sachs] A breakthrough at the World Bank

Mar 29, 2012

NEW YORK ― Last month, I called for the World Bank to be led by a global development leader rather than a banker or political insider. “The Bank needs an accomplished professional who is ready to tackle the great challenges of sustainable development from day one,” I wrote . Now that U.S. President Barack Obama has nominated Jim Kim for the post, the world will get just that: a superb development leader. Obama has shown real leadership with this appointment. He has put development at the forefro
All Americans lose if health care law is overturned

Mar 29, 2012

As much as we’d like to see the U.S. Supreme Court allow the entire federal health-care law to stand, it’s perfectly possible that, when it rules in a few months, the court will toss the whole thing. If it finds that the individual mandate, the requirement that Americans either have insurance or pay a penalty, is unconstitutional, the court may also decide the rest of the law is so inextricably tied to it, everything must go. That would bring the nation back to square one on health-care reform.
Fire up America’s jobs factory with aid for startups

Mar 29, 2012

Politicians, even those who vilify corporate America, inevitably laud small businesses. They are right to appreciate the enormous role that entrepreneurship plays in the U.S. economy, but it’s not clear how much public policy can do to conjure up entrepreneurs. Last week, with broad support, the Senate passed an amended version of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (or the JOBS Act). Because the bill had already been passed by the House on March 8, and is supported by the White House, it se
The G20 remains a process

Mar 29, 2012

The G20 is at a crossroads and the world is watching. A lack of continuity, legitimacy and credibility are shadowing the G20 in 2012. This year’s Los Cabos Summit takes place only seven months after the Cannes Summit, yet it has a very ambitious agenda: green growth. Last year’s agenda was hijacked by European crisis management. This time, green growth has been criticized as having a lack of clarity in terms of where it is leading to.On the topic of economics and finance, a financial inclusion,