The Korea Herald

[Fabrizio Tassinari] The unraveling of Europe’s peace

Jul 4, 2011

COPENHAGEN ― The European Commission recently unveiled long-awaited measures to bring neighboring countries in the Mediterranean and the former Soviet Union closer to Europe. On the same day, another department of the same commission presented proposals aimed at curbing visa-waiver programs for some non-European nationals. Few missed the irony of formulating two plans that pointed in opposite dire
[Trudy Rubin] Consequences of Republicans’ stance on debt

Jul 4, 2011

At a time when America’s economy is hurting, Republican presidential hopefuls call for “restoring American greatness.”So why are Republicans in Congress bent on policies that would hasten U.S. decline?America’s strengths ― which made it the unchallenged global leader ― were based on democratic institutions and economic successes. Other nations sought to copy our economic and political systems beca
[Andrew J. Bacevich] U.S. foreign policy: War fever subsides

Jul 4, 2011

At periodic intervals, the American body politic has shown a marked susceptibility to messianic fevers. Whenever an especially acute attack occurs, a sort of delirium ensues, manifesting itself in delusions of grandeur and demented behavior.By the time the condition passes and a semblance of health is restored, recollection of what occurred during the interval of illness tends to be hazy. What hap
The housing clearance sale and market’s role

Jul 3, 2011

Bank of America on Wednesday announced an $8.5 billion settlement for investors who bought its toxic mortgage bonds before the housing crash.For the homeowners who took out those toxic mortgages, the settlement delivers … nothing.It’s only natural for Americans to feel disgusted in the aftermath of the real-estate bust. People want more sanctions against those who profited during the boom, more re
[David Ignatius] A general’s farewell to Afghans

Jul 3, 2011

KABUL ― A few weeks ago, late on the night that President Obama announced he would be withdrawing troops from Afghanistan faster than the military had wanted, Gen. David Petraeus held a videoconference from Washington with his senior staff, who were assembled in Kabul for their 7:30 a.m. meeting. He assured them their campaign plan was still “doable,” even with fewer numbers over time, and told th
[By Ayaan Hirsi Ali] Obama’s Afghan withdrawal

Jul 3, 2011

On Wednesday, U.S. President Barack Obama announced he would order a gradual troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. On a superficial level there is nothing surprising about this decision. Obama is simply implementing what he had promised the American people in 2009 when he agreed to honor Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s request for more troops. The surge was always going to be temporary, especially in view
[Deborah Blum] In praise of poison ivy, people admire its moxie

Jul 3, 2011

I still remember the moment in my childhood in which I lost all faith in the innocent purity of plants. One day, I was a carefree adolescent at summer camp, exploring the leafy woods with my fellow campers. A couple of days later, I was an illustration for a medical textbook. “The worst case of poison ivy I’ve ever seen!” the camp nurse told the other staffers as she trotted me and my dime-sized b
[Mike Lofgren] Borrowing and spending the GOP way

Jul 3, 2011

President Obama’s fiscal policies are a mess. Whatever one thinks of the need for stimulus in a severe recession, it is obvious that running trillion-dollar deficits for years on end is unsustainable. Moreover, his proposals are dishonest. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded that his proposed 2012 budget underestimates spending while overestimating revenues.Sadly, the Republicans
[Michael Smerconish] Christie may never be this hot again

Jul 3, 2011

Chris Christie should run for president now, assuming he aspires to ever hold that office. The GOP field for 2012 remains wide open, while there is no telling how a 2016 (or later) field could shape up. The economy is the focal point this cycle, so Christie’s reputation as a budget-cutting governor suits the times. And popularity in politics is often fleeting, particularly for a Republican from De
[Gregory Rodriguez] The virtue of ‘I don’t know’ ignored in polls

Jul 1, 2011

In a world overrun by half-truths and wall-to-wall opinion, the simple words “I don’t know” might very well become the most valuable phrase in any language.There’s plenty of grousing about the lopsided ratio of opinion to fact in our lives. But what irks me more is that these days it seems everyone is obligated to have a point of view on every issue.Last week’s news reports about the Miss USA page
[Nathan Gardels] China: Shaping new global system

Jul 1, 2011

BEIJING ― When the now 88-year-old Henry Kissinger sat down with Chairman Mao to discuss opening up China back in the 1970s, America was at the peak of its power. It surely never entered Kissinger’s mind at the time that less than half a century later, as the Communist Party of China confidently celebrates its 90th anniversary, he would be back in Beijing passing the baton of global leadership on
Proposal good for debate, not for policy

Jul 1, 2011

Let’s just make one thing clear: Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou did not endorse the “One China, two governments” idea revisited by the Chinese scholar Chu Shulong in an Apple Daily interview.Before we go any further, let’s look at some of the talking points in the Tsinghua University professor’s proposal. Published by the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, Chu’s article
Japan’s Cabinet changes do little for disaster recovery

Jul 1, 2011

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has finally clarified his hitherto vague “conditions” for resigning his post.At a press conference on Monday, he said he is ready to step down after securing Diet passage of the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2011, as well as passage of two bills. One bill concerns special measures to promote renewable energy ― by obliging utilities to buy electricity gene
Thais need not stay divided after election

Jul 1, 2011

Thailand’s parliamentary election on Sunday is looking like a continuance of unfinished business. This would be the least helpful scenario for a governance process already muddied in recent elections by military interventions and constitutional tinkering. The opposition Puea Thai party, which leads narrowly in the polls, will relish victory as vindication for its absent putative leader, Thaksin Sh
[Martin Khor] Towards green low-carbon growth?

Jul 1, 2011

With the slow progress in global climate negotiations, some developing countries are taking their own climate actions to reduce emissions and adapt to the effects of climate change.Of course, their actions will fall far short of what is required, unless the expected funds and technology resulting from the global talks materialize.And unless the developed countries also cut their emissions greatly