The Korea Herald

[Dominique Moisi] Germany becoming Switzerland of EU?

May 23, 2011

PARIS ― Twenty years ago, in the immediate aftermath of Germany’s reunification, French magazines were full of caricatures of Chancellor Helmut Kohl wearing the traditional pointed Prussian helmet. The new Germany was perceived as a threat to the European balance. Germany was simply “too much” again.German geopolitical ambitions, it was believed, would invariably seek greater proportionality with
Middle East conflict not without hope

May 22, 2011

The solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is really not so far out of reach. The outlines of a reasonable two-state compromise have long been known, and a couple of reasonable people could work out the remaining details tomorrow. But for stubbornness, cynicism, fear and violence, it probably would have happened years ago. The late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban was speaking of the Arabs when he
[Gregory Rodriguez] Secularism continues to gain ground

May 22, 2011

Woohoo! Secularism has arrived. That was one reaction to the news that Pitzer College in Claremont, California, is launching a secular studies department.“Well, it’s about time!” wrote an eager academic in the Chronicle of Higher Education. The editor of CNN’s Belief blog didn’t know “whether to be surprised that it happened or surprised that it took so long.”The blog at the conservative journal F
[Ban Ki-moon] Dysfunctional disarmament forum

May 22, 2011

GENEVA ― As the U.N. Conference on Disarmament begins a seven-week session in Geneva, its future is on the line. Whereas countries and civil-society initiatives are on the move, the conference has stagnated. Its credibility ― indeed, its very legitimacy ― is at risk.The “CD,” as it is informally known, has long served as the world’s only multilateral forum for negotiating disarmament. Its many imp
[Steve Lopez] Schwarzenegger’s lies have a familiar ring

May 22, 2011

Back in October of 2003, I witnessed a remarkable spectacle at a San Diego rally for gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger. As I talked to people about allegations that Schwarzenegger had crudely groped women against their will, using his celebrity and power to have his way, they were outraged.Not at Schwarzenegger, but at the Los Angeles Times, for reporting the stories.Even after Schwarz
[Song InYeup] Haiti’s great miracle ― Hope is in sight now!

May 22, 2011

It has been 487 days since a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, an island in the center of the blue Caribbean Sea. Haiti has suffered what we call “the fivefold difficulty” ― an earthquake, shortages of daily goods, crimes, violent demonstrations and cholera. But since Feb. 4, the situation has begun to stabilize. Now people do daily life with hope, although they are still in the midst of difficult
[Radek Sikorski] The front line of democracy across North Africa

May 22, 2011

BENGHAZI ― This week, I flew to Benghazi to meet Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC), a visit coordinated with European Union High Representative Catherine Ashton and NATO allies. I was the first Western foreign minister to travel to Libya since the crisis began. What I saw reminded me of my country 20 years ago, just after Poland’s first free elections, which, together with the fall of th
TEPCO’s compensation plan for victims

May 20, 2011

The government on May 13 decided on the overall framework of a scheme to help Tokyo Electric Power Co. compensate people who have suffered losses from the accidents at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.Compensation will be paid to those who were evacuated from their homes as well as to farmers, fishermen and others who have suffered financial losses due to the accidents.The government plans
How do you close a state park in California?

May 20, 2011

Californians cannot expect state parks, as beloved as they are, to be spared from the budget ax. Not when the elderly are going without home health aides and schools are pink-slipping thousands of teachers. Whether it’s practical to close 70 of the state’s parks, as Gov. Jerry Brown proposes, is another matter.The state Department of Parks and Recreation has done a thoughtful job of targeting park
[Akira Fujino] China’s view of Japan brighter since quake

May 20, 2011

Whether the March 11 earthquake and tsunami could turn bilateral relations in a positive direction has been the subject of some discussion.Wang Lixiong, a Chinese writer from Beijing, was in Japan ― on his first visit to the nation ― on March 10, for meet-and-greet events with readers of his work.After the disaster hit the next day, Wang watched developments in Tokyo, the Kansai region and other p
[David Ignatius] Now for the Obama follow-through

May 20, 2011

WASHINGTON ― With his much-ballyhooed speech on the Middle East, President Obama set himself a challenge that can be summarized in two words: Follow through. Obama spoke with more clarity than some analysts had expected about the two most incendiary issues in the region right now: President Bashar al-Assad’s violent suppression of protests in Syria, and the risk of a new Palestinian explosion if a
Gender-selective abortions not forgivable

May 20, 2011

It’s understandable for would-be parents to have a preference for the sex of their child. All over the world, there are fathers who say they want a little boy who will one day play catch with them in the backyard. Likewise, there are dads who long for the sweetness a little girl brings to a family. Moms also either hope for a little girl to share in the experience of being female or wish for a boy
Normal military exchanges with the U.S.

May 20, 2011

Compared to the robust Sino-U.S. trade ties and the frequent exchanges at official and people-to-people level, Sino-U.S. military exchanges have remained dormant in recent years. But thanks to the efforts of both sides, Beijing and Washington are making headway in fixing this weak link in their bilateral relations. A group of high-ranking Chinese military officers, led by Chief of the General Staf
Poll to set new standard in spin tactics

May 20, 2011

Now that there are 47 days left before the election ― Thailand’s 26th and by far the most important at this political juncture ― just look at the ways various contesting parties are positioning themselves to win or cheat votes. They will be like the spaghetti-western movies ― the good, the bad and the ugly. There are plenty of the last two groups already.In the past few days, quite a few alarming
[Hiroaki Koide] Japan risks nuclear disaster for consumer convenience

May 20, 2011

TOKYO ― I have been warning about the possibility of catastrophic nuclear power accidents for the past 40 years. That the very nightmare I always predicted has come true makes it no less alarming to watch the ongoing Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster unfold.Nuclear power plants are machines; machines can fail at times. Nuclear power plants are constructed and operated by people; people are no