The Korea Herald

commentary-Pesek

Sept 28, 2011

China as J.P. Morgan Might Have to Save World By William Pesek BloombergChina and the U.S. finally found something to agree on: Europe is doomed and might take the world’s two biggest economies down with it. Neither officials in Beijing nor Washington are actually using the “D word.” They don’t need
[Max Boot] Confirm Robert Ford as Syrian ambassador

Sept 27, 2011

Our embattled man in Damascus, Ambassador Robert Ford, is threatened not only by the Syrian regime but by Republican senators who are dragging their feet on confirming his appointment. Their opposition, which is founded on the premise that we should not dignify Bashar Assad’s regime with an ambassad
[Daniel Fiedler] KORUS FTA agreement, again

Sept 27, 2011

Four years ago South Korea and the United States first signed a free trade agreement. At that time many Koreans and foreigners rejoiced in anticipation of lower priced foods, cars and other staples from the United States. However, due to special interest groups in both countries, the agreement was n
Direct talks needed for Palestinian statehood

Sept 27, 2011

When I was 1 year old, my parents and their neighbors had occasion to be glued to their radio sets to listen to a very special broadcast. It was Nov. 29, 1947, when the General Assembly of the United Nations voted on the Partition Plan of then British-ruled Palestine between Arabs and Jews.One by on
[Pankaj Mishra] The socialist push behind India’s capitalist rise

Sept 27, 2011

Twenty years ago, India faced a fiscal crisis caused by profligate public spending and rising oil prices after the first Persian Gulf War. There was a risk it would default on its international payments. The finance minister, an English-educated Sikh economist named Manmohan Singh, responded to an a
[Kim Seong-kon] Politics in the age of pop idols

Sept 27, 2011

We now live in the age of pop idols and cultural icons. Ever since the popular American television show “American Idol” was launched in 2002, the term “idol” has been widely used to refer to pop heroes who immediately turn into cultural icons. “American Idol,” a spin-off from the British show, “Pop
[Editorial] Seoul mayoral race

Sept 26, 2011

The main opposition Democratic Party has nominated Rep. Park Young-sun, a former TV anchorwoman, as its candidate for the Oct. 26 Seoul mayoral by-election. She will face yet another contest in a week to select a unified candidate representing the liberal opposition forces.Her contender Park Won-soo
[Daoud Kuttab] Palestine’s switch to different tactics is wise move

Sept 26, 2011

RAMALLAH ― The idea of Palestine becoming a permanent member of the United Nations originated, say Palestinians, with none other than U.S. President Barack Obama. Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2010, Obama said that he hoped that “when we come back here next year, we can have an
[David Ignatius] Remedies for drone addiction

Sept 26, 2011

WASHINGTON ― What “rules of war” should apply to Predator drones, the eerily efficient weapons that cruise the skies and target adversaries with the precision of a sharpshooter’s bullet? It’s an urgent question ― not simply for the United States, which is expanding its use of drones, but for dozens
[Andrew Wolman] The environmental case for nuclear energy

Sept 26, 2011

Six months after the Fukushima disaster, the repercussions of history’s second-largest nuclear meltdown are still being felt, not only in Japan but around the world. Predictably, people are rethinking the wisdom of relying on nuclear power. The German and Swiss governments have pledged to phase out
[Albert R. Hunt] Independents still seek their 2012 anointed one

Sept 26, 2011

Political independents, who account for more than one-quarter of the U.S. electorate and are probably the key to the 2012 presidential election, are voicing strong reservations about Barack Obama as well as the Republican brand. As the national election goes into high gear with more than 13 months t
The G20 must get serious about reforming the IMF

Sept 26, 2011

The summer jitters, which brought memories from the panicky fall of 2008, have left little doubt about how fragile the recovery from the great crisis has been and how rocky the road ahead will continue to be. This should not be entirely surprising given the magnitude of the shock endured in 2008-09.
[Peter Goldmark] Flickers of freedom across the Balkans

Sept 25, 2011

BELGRADE, Serbia ― Most Americans, myself included, know very little about the Balkans ― except, perhaps, that last week’s men’s U.S. Open champ, Novak Djokovic, is from Serbia. I’m visiting now, and the headline is: Countries in the Balkans are groping their way out of centuries of bloodshed and op
[Nouriel Roubini] How to prevent a depression

Sept 25, 2011

AMSTERDAM ― The latest economic data suggests that recession is returning to most advanced economies, with financial markets now reaching levels of stress unseen since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. The risks of an economic and financial crisis even worse than the previous one ― now involv
[William Pesek] Underwear model shows an economy how to grow

Sept 25, 2011

So this is what it has come to for Japan Inc.: a future in underwear instead of cars, color TVs or industrial robots. Long before 2010, when China surpassed it to become Asia’s biggest economy and Apple Inc. unleashed the iPad, Japan fancied itself a nation fated for global primacy. Its technology w