As we approach the end of a long and complex year, and a turbulent election that saw a change of power in the House, it seems an appropriate time to hit pause and contemplate an approach toward a long-term global strategy for our country. We live in a highly tactical age, one that often seems categorized by the old saying, “the carnival moves on.” We seemingly have lost the collective ability to stop and consider where America needs to set its course.Strategy is actually simple: it is the ration

The top European court now is highly likely to rule that the UK can cancel Brexit unilaterally. For all the domestic political hurdles such a move would face, it’s intriguing to ponder how Europe would take it if the UK did cancel Brexit.Last year, a group of Scottish lawmakers asked a court in Scotland whether, having initiated an EU exit procedure under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, a country can revoke the decision without other member states’ consent. The court referred the question to th

North and South Korea completed the destruction of 10 guard posts on either side of the Demilitarized Zone and removed personnel from those positions last week to make a portion of the heavily fortified border a real no man’s land. The two Koreas have thus accomplished one symbolic task in the list of tension-reduction measures signed by their top leaders in their summit in Pyongyang in September. Work details from the South and North Korean armies have also finished clearing mines in the centra

Korea ushered in the era of 5G era at the stroke of midnight on Dec. 1, when the country’s three mobile carriers -- SKT, KT and LG Uplus -- simultaneously switched on 5G networks. Although the services are limited to business users on fixed-wireless access, with the roll out of 5G cellular services for consumers expected in March 2019, the day was marked with much fanfare by the mobile carriers as they offered visions of a world more connected than ever at a faster speed than ever. Things that d

Labor strife in South Korea is back in the news, as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions launched a general strike on Nov. 2l. The KCTU also boycotted a meeting of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, a newly expanded presidential commission designed to develop policy consensus on economic and social issues. The KCTU is protesting the bipartisan agreement to relax temporarily the recently established 52-hour limit on weekly working hours.In its protests, the KCTU argued that President Moo

The fear index, also known as the Volatile Index, refers to the stock market’s expectation of volatility and investors’ anxiety amid extreme uncertainty. “The Fear Index” is also the title of famed British writer Robert Harris’ novel about the financial crisis that swept the world due to the subprime mortgage crisis in 2007 and the Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy in 2008, which culminated in the Flash Crash of 2010 that created panic for 36 minutes all over the world. Due to the fear index that may

A year ago, Latin American nations and their bevy of pragmatic, market-friendly, middle-of-the-road presidents stood out from some of their OECD counterparts. Eight presidential races later, the region looks less exceptional. Populism has returned to its historic home. Yet this time injustice, not economic class, turned voters against the political establishment, elevating outsiders who have threatened to undermine democratic norms.Democracy’s supporters shouldn’t yet despair, as many of the reg