The Korea Herald

[Martin Khor] Still in pursuit of full independence

Aug 26, 2011

The Merdeka (Independence) season is a good time to ponder over what independence means to Malaysia and the other developing countries that are still battling to overcome the disadvantages that the colonial era brought.The problems of governance in a developing country, 54 years after independence,
[Editorial] Put more pressure for change on the Burmese regime

Aug 26, 2011

U.N. human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana arrived in Burma last Sunday for a five-day visit to assess the human rights situation in the country.Quintana, who was previously denied a visa to Burma after visiting there in February last year, is expected to meet with pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu K
[Editorial] China’s oil spill shame

Aug 26, 2011

The investigation, jointly organized by seven central government departments, into the oil spill involving ConocoPhillips China in Bohai Bay is long overdue given the continuing leaks and the uncooperative attitude from the subsidiary of the Houston-based U.S. energy giant. The State Oceanic Adminis
[Editorial] Maglev train project must serve national interests

Aug 26, 2011

Central Japan Railway Co.’s ongoing project to build a maglev train system linking Tokyo and Osaka is finally in full swing.Early this month, JR Tokai released a list of probable locations for intermediate stations in four prefectures ― Aichi excluded ― through which its envisaged magnetically levit
[Barak Barfi] Rebuilding Libya after Gadhafi

Aug 25, 2011

BENGHAZI ― Six months after Libyan rebels took up arms against the country’s leader, Col. Muammar el-Gadhafi, they have finally toppled him. But, while victorious on the battlefield, they have not been triumphant in political and economic terms. If the rebels are to ensure their revolution’s long-te
[Jeffrey Goldberg] As Sinai deteriorates, Israelis fear the worst

Aug 25, 2011

It wasn’t much noticed at the time, but this past winter, as some Egyptians flooded Tahrir Square to bring down a pharaoh, others were busy opening the gates of Cairo’s jails. Common criminals found their way to freedom, and so too did an unknown, but possibly substantial, number of hardened jihadis
[Howard Davies] Europe’s financial wasteland waiting for German action

Aug 25, 2011

PARIS ― “April is the cruelest month,” wrote T.S. Eliot at the beginning of his great poem, “The Waste Land.” But, if Eliot had been a professional investor who had observed European financial markets over the last few years, I am quite certain that his choice would have been August.In August 2007,
[Elena T. Reigadas] Legal or not, these students deserve a chance

Aug 25, 2011

It happened again this semester. A student came to my office and asked me to close the door. After going through this drill so many times before, I knew what would come next. In a process akin to “coming out of the closet,” these students reveal to me their terrible secret: They are undocumented imm
[Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney] College path: Expensive, but a smart investment

Aug 25, 2011

The 3 million Americans who graduated from high school last spring have had to grapple with a big decision: whether to continue with their educations this fall. In today’s economic climate, a growing number of families are questioning the value of higher education. Will an investment in college pay
[David Ignatius] An uncertain Arab transition

Aug 24, 2011

WASHINGTON ― U.S. intelligence analysts, like most American observers, have often referred to the process unfolding in the Middle East as the “Arab Spring,” with its implicit message of democratic rebirth and freedom. But some senior analysts are said to have argued for a more neutral term, such as
[Albert R. Hunt] Super PACs line their coffers for 2012 battle

Aug 24, 2011

Mike Toomey, Bill Burton and Edward Conard: Each of these men is a close ally of one of the would-be next presidents of the United States. All three insist they have no involvement in their close associates’ campaigns. That’s because they’re helping direct so-called Super PACs ― Burton for President
[Yuriko Koike] The final days of Col. Gadhafi

Aug 24, 2011

BENGHAZI ― The endgame in the Libyan conflict has at last arrived. Much of Libya’s capital is now in insurgent hands, with the rebel army itself entering from all directions.The military impotence of forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gadhafi ― visible for a week ― had been matched by the regime’s growing
[Frida Ghitis] Hoping for winds of Middle East peace

Aug 24, 2011

Nobody expected a quick happy ending, but the depths to which the Middle East peace process has fallen, and the degree to which American influence has collapsed, are nothing short of astounding.Just three years ago, a deal between Israelis and Palestinians seemed tantalizingly close. Today, politica
[Nathan Rice] Crimes against women

Aug 24, 2011

A recent article suggesting that women-only subway cars would help curb the problem of crimes against women in the subway is misguided. The points raised before are quite valid. It is discriminatory towards men. According to the report, 1,192 incidents were handled last year, which is estimated to b
[Thomas Klassen] Korea needs to retire mandatory retirement

Aug 24, 2011

Mandatory retirement at a very young age, often in the mid 50s, is a defining feature of Korean workplaces. After being forced to retire so early, workers face a long period of low paying and precarious employment either in self-employment or contract work. Not surprisingly, Koreans have working liv