The Korea Herald

[Omar Ashour] Long journey from 9/11 to the Arab Spring

Sept 14, 2011

CAIRO ― Al-Qaida’s operating environment today is vastly different from the one in which it launched its most notorious operation, the 9/11 terror attacks. Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida’s founder and charismatic leader, was killed by United States Navy Seals in Pakistan in May. Three brutal Middle East
[David Ignatius] The payoff of quiet leadership

Sept 14, 2011

WASHINGTON ― Barack Obama got elected president in part because he promised to change the foreign-policy priorities of a Bush administration that was unpopular abroad, had strained relations with key allies and was facing a growing Iranian challenge and a continuing menace from al-Qaida. So wha
[William Pesek] Obama’s soul mate down under may be down

Sept 14, 2011

It’s as predictable as political leadership gets: When things go awry at home, escape overseas for a while, grip and grin with a foreign head of state and change the subject. Barack Obama may have this tried-and-true strategy in mind as he plans to visit Australia, which is about as far as a U.S. pr
[Jaime O’Neill] Hard times have spawned great art, but not these hard times, it seems

Sept 14, 2011

Economists and politicians told us that the recession was over, though some of them now worry about it taking a double dip. For those of us living farther from the ledger sheets and closer to the reality of what’s happening in our towns and on our streets, this has been and remains a depression. It’
[Shashi Tharoor] Hazare poses saintly challenge to Indian democracy

Sept 14, 2011

NEW DELHI ― India is no stranger to protest movements, hunger strikes, and the mass mobilization of citizens for a popular cause. But the recent fast by the Gandhian leader Anna Hazare, culminating in an extraordinary session of Parliament to pass a resolution acceding to his main demands, marked a
[Ezra Klein] Reckless, dumb and scared: Coming of age after 9/11

Sept 13, 2011

You know how we know the terrorists didn’t win? It’s not because we killed Osama bin Laden. It’s because we killed him and we didn’t really care. Which is not to say that we won, either. It’s more to say it’s been a weird decade. According to the Gallup Poll, President Barack Obama’s “Osama bump” in
[Daniel Fiedler] Translation troubles in the courts

Sept 13, 2011

A fundamental human right is equality under the law regardless of race or gender. This right is complemented by the right of individuals to petition the government for redress, a right exercised by accessing the court system. These rights are a large part of what distinguishes open democratic nation
A cultural civics lesson

Sept 13, 2011

Politics is making Americans dumb and mean. It’s turning a generous, forward-thinking people into glib, defensive, narrow-minded bores.Pundits tell us that the answer to all this nastiness ― from the disgusting comments on message boards to the smarmy lies of TV political hacks ― is to get more peop
Clinton deserves credit for Libya

Sept 13, 2011

The unsung hero of the Libya drama in the U.S. is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s actions were critical for several reasons. Most important, she overcame Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s caution about using military force in Libya and his reluctance to support an operation led by Franc
[Trudy Rubin] Stop Syria? It’s not as easy as Libyan intervention

Sept 13, 2011

Now that NATO has helped to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi, some pundits are calling for similar action against Syria.So far the chorus is muted, composed mainly of op-eds by neoconservatives who promoted the Iraq war. Back then they were certain that regime change in Baghdad would undercut Iran and make
[Kim Seong-kon] They try to tell us we’re too old

Sept 13, 2011

Humans are mortals. And all mortals are doomed to grow old; as time goes by, their skin becomes wrinkled and saggy, their internal organs deteriorate, and their physical strength declines. That is why King Solomon metaphorically advised us to remember our Creator before we get too old: “before the s
[William Pesek] China in time of millionaires snubs neighbor

Sept 9, 2011

Asia’s biggest rivalry is looking more and more one-sided. There’s no competing with China’s 9.5 percent growth as the U.S. sheds jobs, Europe unravels and Japan’s deflation deepens. Even though Asia’s other rising superpower, India, is zooming along at 7.7 percent, try getting anyone to pay much at
[David Ignatius] A 9/11 Commission report card

Sept 9, 2011

WASHINGTON ― As America takes stock of counterterrorism policies this week, it’s useful to review two major recommendations in the 9/11 Commission Report. The first, which called for creation of a new director of national intelligence to “connect the dots,” is finally making some progress in coordin
[Robert Karniol] China’s fourth fleet

Sept 9, 2011

With a low-key remark in the state-run People’s Daily, China effectively signaled its intention to establish a fourth fleet for the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). However, this may yet prove temporary.The PLAN is currently structured around three fleets, each with a geographic focus: the Nort
China needs to learn a lesson from oil spills

Sept 9, 2011

The order by China’s State Oceanic Administration (SOA) to ConocoPhillips China that it must stop all production operations in Bohai Bay is long overdue given the two-month long oil leaks and extensive contamination of large areas of Bohai Bay. An investigation conducted jointly by seven central gov