The Korea Herald

[Andrew Sheng] Malaysia at 55

Sept 19, 2018

Was it only 55 years ago when Malaysia was formed on Sept. 16, 1963?　On that day, I was super proud to witness at the parade ground in Jesselton (today Kota Kinabalu) the formation of an independent nation, joining Sabah and Sarawak with the 11 states of Malaya. One forgets easily today that it was a time of grave uncertainty, when the Philippines had a claim on North Borneo and Indonesian President Sukarno was actively against the idea of Malaysia.　At the middle age of 55 years, an individual c
[Kai-Fu Lee] AI could devastate developing world

Sept 19, 2018

Most studies on the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and the economy have focused on developed countries such as the US and Britain. But through my work as a scientist, technology executive and venture capitalist in the US and China, I’ve come to believe that the gravest threat AI poses is to emerging economies.　In recent decades, China and India have presented the world with two different models for how such countries can climb the development ladder. In the China model, a nation lever
[Tyler Cowen] China not America’s next great enemy

Sept 19, 2018

If the lack of an external enemy since the end of the Cold War has made America weak and feckless, as some argue, then can the rise of China give America a newfound vigor and sense of purpose? Probably not.　There are several differences between the former Soviet Union and contemporary China that help explain why the USSR came across as so much more threatening. The Soviets had a string of leaders who were well suited to play movie villains. Stalin murdered millions and radiated evil. Khrushchev
[Lionel Laurent] Macron preaches change but pulls his punches

Sept 19, 2018

For a nation of supposedly “stubborn Gauls,” as President Emmanuel Macron described his people last month, the French seem to have taken his economic reform medicine with few complaints. This should not be a surprise. Despite the cliches, surveys mainly show that the French approve of public spending cuts and the rhythm of change introduced since Macron took power in 2017.　Yet clearly Macron is not loved, either. His dwindling approval ratings invoke unfavorable comparisons with predecessors lik
[Kim Seong-kon] Logic can be defeated by logical fallacies

Sept 18, 2018

We may think that we are absolutely right because we are logically impeccable, and that all others are wrong accordingly. By firmly believing so, however, we may inadvertently commit logical fallacies. Moreover, logic can be easily defeated by what we call logical fallacies. Max Shulman’s “Love is a Fallacy” well illustrates this compelling issue. The protagonist of the story is a narcissistic law student who believes that he is always absolutely right, smart, and logical. One day, upon spotting
[Anjani Trivedi] Sanctions threaten to shoot down China’s spyware star

Sept 18, 2018

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology is a rare example of a Chinese national champion that’s also become a global leader. But the very ties to China’s surveillance state that powered the company’s rise now threaten to check its progress.　Hikvision’s footprint has grown in tandem with China’s political agenda. Its cameras dot the western region of Xinjiang, where the government has greatly expanded its security apparatus and faces accusations of human rights abuses. The US is now considering san
[Lee Jae-min] With progress on denuclearization, economic cooperation projects ready to roll

Sept 18, 2018

The names and faces of government officials and business leaders in the presidential entourage for this week’s third inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang send a clear message as to how serious we are about the two Koreas’ economic cooperation projects. To start with, it includes eight minister-level officials. Also joining are corporate leaders from Samsung, LG, SK, Hyundai and Posco, among others. Not only that, the CEOs of KDB, Korail and Kepco are flying North as well. With entourage members of t
[Leonid Bershidsky] Russia’s thugs may be too much for its technocrats

Sept 18, 2018

Many countries present a number of different faces to the world, but Russia goes them all one better. Its government is a Janus whose faces are so at odds they might come from separate species.　One of these faces got a lot of airtime last week. First, Gen. Viktor Zolotov, head of Russia’s National Guard, published the video of his out-of-control rant against anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny, who had accused him of involvement in corrupt procurement practices. Zolotov runs an armed force o
[Christopher Balding] A road map for the great US-China divorce

Sept 18, 2018

As the trade war between the US and China drags on with new tariffs and no end in sight, we need to ask ourselves: What do they want? A fundamental objective for both is to become less reliant on the other. The trade war should thus be reframed as a conscious uncoupling.　Behind the rhetoric from both sides lies a profound distrust. US suspicion stems from two specific issues. China is increasingly seen as a national security threat that fails to play by the rules. The Trump administration’s stan
[Chon Shi-yong] Kim, Trump and the nuclear crisis: A conundrum eternal?

Sept 17, 2018

Kim should seize the opportunity to end nuclear crisis, engage with the world.
[Nisha Gopalan] China’s Silicon Valley Dream bumps against reality

Sept 17, 2018

Build it and they will come. Maybe.　President Xi Jinping’s grand plan to bind Hong Kong and Macau with the southern tip of China using the world’s longest bridge and a cross-border bullet train faces some large roadblocks.　The “Greater Bay Area” is an attempt to create an economic cluster rivaling those in San Francisco and Tokyo, by deepening links between China’s former European colonies and nine cities in neighboring Guangdong province.　The project has plenty going for it from an economic sta
[James Stavridis] Suffering Venezuelans need US to stay hands-off

Sept 17, 2018

When I served as commander of the US Southern Command, my first four-star assignment, I visited every country and territory in Latin America -- except Venezuela. By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had destroyed relations with the US, cratered the country’s economy and polarized its electorate.Death by violence soared, hitting levels 10 times that of the US, and 50 times higher than Western Europe. The nation’s abundance of oil became a curse, as
[Anjani Trivedi] China’s look beneath Toyota’s hood sets uneasy precedent

Sept 17, 2018

Watch out car companies, here comes the long arm of the Chinese state.　Toyota Motor Corp. is preparing to hand Beijing the technology behind the Prius, its almost-eponymous hybrid car, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. The move comes as Chinese officials push for bluer skies and cleaner vehicles, but it’s an aggressive overture for a company that had, until recently, a passive presence in the world’s biggest car market.　For Toyota’s peers, the agreement would set a scary precedent. Sharing know-
[Dov Waxman] PLO can’t be pushed into peace deal

Sept 17, 2018

The Donald Trump administration’s decision to close the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington last week is the latest in a series of punitive actions it has taken against the Palestinians. The purpose is clear: to force the PLO and its ailing octogenarian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to restart peace talks with Israel and, ultimately, to accept the administration’s long-awaited peace plan. This strategy of coercion and collective punishment is bound to fail.　In a recent pre-Rosh Has
[Victor D. Cha, Abraham M. Denmark] The case against doing nothing about North Korea

Sept 16, 2018

Barely three months after they met in Singapore, President Donald Trump says he would be happy to sit down again with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. One might justifiably ask why, given how little the North has conceded since their last tete-a-tete. There is room to make tangible progress, however, if the US rethinks its negotiating strategy.　Talks between the US and North Korea have foundered in part because of a fundamental contradiction in worldviews. It’s impossible for the US to imagine