The Korea Herald

[David Ignatius] Mistrust among European banks

Sept 21, 2011

WASHINGTON ― Global financial markets depend on trust. So it wasn’t a good sign when Laurence Parisot, the head of the French business federation known as “Medef,” last month charged that reports about the weakness of French banks were an American plot. “There has been a kind of psychological warfar
[Glenn Hubbard] Short-term stimulus won’t help U.S. in the long run

Sept 21, 2011

Joblessness and sluggish growth are hampering the economic recovery and Barack Obama’s political standing. Raising taxes on the rich, as the president called for on Monday, isn’t going to turn things around. To get a sense of how severe the situation is, consider this: Bringing the unemployment rate
[Frida Ghitis] Waiting for revolution in Cuba, Burma, N.K.

Sept 21, 2011

For all the luxuries they enjoy, dictators live in a state of constant fear.Without the trust of their people they must always protect themselves against real, imagined, or even potential plots. They may be paranoid, but they’re right to be afraid. That’s true now more than ever.These are scary time
Move ahead on pipeline from Canada

Sept 20, 2011

It’s a boom time in the Canadian province of Alberta, where technological advances and sky-high commodity prices have turned the region’s oil sands into a sticky, tarry gold mine.Here’s a safe prediction: The United States will share in this bounty, one way or another. Canada will ship oil to its la
[Lee Jae-min] Settlement of comfort women issue

Sept 20, 2011

“Much as we may feel for the plight of the (comfort women), the court of the United States simply is not authorized to hear their case.” That was the final sentence of the judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in Hwang Geum Joo et al. v. Japan issued in June 2005, which was
‘Contagion’ lurks just outside office bathroom

Sept 20, 2011

A terrible wave of germaphobia is spreading across the world, and all of it can be blamed on “Contagion,” the new thriller starring Matt Damon. “It really bothers me,” said a victim of the new germaphobia. “You don’t really know what it’s like.”Actually, I do. But it was never this bad, until now, t
[Reza Aslan] Yes to Palestine

Sept 20, 2011

Later this month, the Palestinian Authority intends to go before the United Nations to request recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Although there is strong backing for the bid, the United States, in the name of supporting Israel, has stated its willingness to use its Security Council ve
[Kim Seong-kon] Americans learning from Asia

Sept 20, 2011

We learn from each other. We learn not only from our parents and teachers, but also from our children and students. As a father, I try to convey my experiences to my children whenever necessary, but at the same time, I often learn from them as well. And as a professor, I not only teach my students w
Tax reform may be the only deficit reduction plan

Sept 19, 2011

Last time we looked in on the congressional “supercommittee,” its members were preparing for a sober task: slashing future federal deficits by ― for openers ― more than a trillion dollars. Yet there was reason to hope this designated dozen really could roam the full realm of government spending and
[Zbigniew Brzezinski] Toward universal political culture

Sept 19, 2011

WASHINGTON ― A common challenge to all of us is inherent in the ongoing transformation of global politics.Let me begin with three broad assertions, then briefly elaborate on each of them, and conclude by making a modest proposal.― First, global peace is threatened not by utopian fanaticism, as was t
[Virginia Postrel] Harvard’s freshman pledge values ‘kindness’

Sept 19, 2011

When the members of the class of 2015 arrived at Harvard College this fall, they encountered a novel bit of moral education. Their dorm proctors ― the grad students who live with freshmen to provide guidance and enforce discipline ― invited each student to sign a pledge developed by the Freshman Dea
[Trudy Rubin] Many Iraqis who helped U.S. still awaiting visas

Sept 19, 2011

In July, I wrote about the plight of Iraqis who worked with U.S. soldiers and civilians but face death as “collaborators” when we leave. Their situation remains unresolved.Congress set up a special program in 2008 to grant these Iraqis 25,000 special immigrant visas (SIVs) over five years. Only 3,62
[Graciana del Castillo] Economics of peace in Afghanistan

Sept 19, 2011

KABUL ― Suicide bombings, assassinations of top Afghan leaders, brutal attacks on Charikar and other places close to Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and a rapid increase in civilian deaths from drone attacks are jeopardizing the withdrawal of American and NATO forces from the country. So pervasive has
[Stephen Carter] Google do-gooder discount leaves churches to beg

Sept 18, 2011

I am not sure what exactly led Google Inc. to decide to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible by making it harder for religious groups to do their work. But that is the practical effect of a set of changes in pricing policies adopted by the tech giant this year. Until recently, Goo
[David Ignatius] Israel and the Arab street

Sept 18, 2011

WASHINGTON ― The expanding confrontation between Israel and its neighbors has been described variously as a “train wreck,” a “lose-lose situation” and a “political tsunami.” It’s all those things, and likely to get worse: For there’s no quick fix by Israel’s ally, the United States. The Obama a