The Korea Herald

[Richard Parker] Libya: An end game enveloped by deception

Mar 22, 2011

If, as Sun Tzu wrote, “all warfare is based upon deception,” then the war now unfolding in the Libyan desert is one towering with deception. And it appears that the Obama administration is skillfully wielding at least this one deadly principle of conflict.Operation Odyssey Dawn is no no-fly zone; it is most likely the first, opening gambit of a potentially larger military operation. By expanding t
[Lee Jae-min] New concept for action against genocide

Mar 22, 2011

Although we live in an age of abbreviation, few people will have heard of the term “R2P.” I did not have any clue when I first heard it, I have to confess. R2P stands for “Responsibility to Protect.” This is a new concept raised by the international community after having observed the ugly failure of the international community to take appropriate actions during genocides in Rwanda and former Yugo
Bias against catastrophic nuclear tail events

Mar 22, 2011

The worst case. These three words have been at the back of everyone’s mind ever since the Fukushima reactors began malfunctioning after being swamped by a tsunami. Remarkably, these reactors have been at the front of few experts’ mouths.Many experts have shied away from describing worst-case outcomes, which are terrifying to contemplate and risky to mention. The risk isn’t just panicking the publi
[Kim Seong-kon] Funny and embarrassing Konglish

Mar 22, 2011

Foreigners often point out that there are many awkward English expressions on Korean street signs, temple guideposts and restaurant menus. Surprised by the numerous mistakes, foreign residents and tourists may wonder if Koreans have invented their own version of English. The truth is that when composing something in English, Koreans tend to rely extensively on the Korean-English dictionary, which
[Albert Hunt] Hubristic Republicans misread political landscape

Mar 22, 2011

Sun Tzu’s admonition to know thine enemy is as essential in politics as it is in war.With Democrats and Republicans locked in a struggle for supremacy, both are guardedly optimistic that currents are blowing their way. In dozens of conversations over the past week or so, while differences emerge among politicians when it comes to their own parties, there’s a consensus about their opponents’ vulner
Japan’s crises call for clear command structure

Mar 21, 2011

The government’s measures to deal with the disasters caused by the March 11 earthquake have lagged from the beginning. The Prime Minister’s Office must rebuild its crisis management system as soon as possible.Extensive physical damage is not the only characteristic of the Tohoku Pacific Offshore Earthquake. The multiple disaster situation includes a wide variety of problems, such as the nuclear pl
Horrors make us rethink the unthinkable

Mar 21, 2011

With every passing day, Japan’s chain reaction of disasters pushes the envelope of what humankind regards as unthinkable.Last week’s 9.0 earthquake was so powerful it literally altered the earth’s rotation and shortened the length of our day. Yet that’s the least of the world-rattling implications from the horrors still unfolding on Japan’s largest island, Honshu.Foremost on everyone’s mind are th
[David Scheffer] Keeping Gadhafi on a leash

Mar 21, 2011

On Thursday evening the U.N. Security Council hit the right target when it authorized a no-fly zone over Libya, as well as “all necessary measures” against loyalist forces of Moammar Gadhafi. With the tide recently turning against the rebellion, the no-fly zone and airstrikes against advancing armor and troops are needed more than ever to protect millions of Libyan civilians and help deter the atr
[David Ignatius] Contrarian thinking about dialogue

Mar 21, 2011

In a rapidly changing Islamic world, the Obama administration is weighing how best to talk with adversaries such as the Taliban and, perhaps, Hezbollah. One model for the administration, as it thinks about engagement of enemies, is the British process of dialogue during the 1990s with Sinn Fein, the legal political wing of the terrorist Irish Republican Army. That outreach led to breakthrough peac
[William Pesek] Japan’s ‘BP moment’ troubles global economy

Mar 21, 2011

You never want to kick a nation when it’s down. It’s time, though, to consider the depth of Japan’s coming recession. A week ago, before radiation fears prompted a mass exodus from Tokyo, a downturn was of the “if” variety. Japan’s prospects then dimmed with each passing day of blackouts and panicked news reports. The questions now are when the recession will officially begin, how bad it will be a
[Thitinan Pongsudhirak] Thai voters in yellow and red set for crucial elections

Mar 21, 2011

BANGKOK ― After three consecutive years of deadly street protests, Thailand has arrived at the point where it will need to hold new elections, as the current term of its national assembly expires this December. Indeed, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has indicated that he will call for the dissolution of the lower house by the first week of May. This follows a parliamentary no-confidence motion,
[Caroline Baum] Rich feel good again about what they do best

Mar 21, 2011

The world is beset by crises, from an earthquake and tsunami in Japan to revolution and repression in the Middle East. For one small segment of the population, however, it’s party time.The rich are spending again; the more conspicuous the consumption, the better. Gone are the exhortations to bankers in the dark days of 2008 and 2009 to temper extravagant behavior, act more like an everyman. Shun t
Trapping National Public Radio of the U.S.

Mar 20, 2011

Did National Public Radio get a raw deal when an executive was secretly taped making indiscreet political comments about conservatives, provoking calls from Republicans to cut off its federal funding? Could be. It turns out that the unedited video ― according to Glenn Beck’s website “The Blaze” ― shows “questionable editing and tactics” designed to misrepresent executive Ron Schiller’s attitudes.I
[Jay Winter] The birth of the Muslim Brotherhood

Mar 20, 2011

To understand the Muslim Brotherhood, and to assess its role today in a shifting Middle East, it is necessary to first examine the forces that led to the organization’s birth. And that takes us back to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire during World War I.The Ottoman Empire had been, before World War I, the strongest and most visible face of Islam in the world. At its height in the 16th and 17th c
[Andrew Sheng] Economic impact of disaster in Japan

Mar 20, 2011

I was at an IMF conference on capital flows in Bali when the Japanese earthquake and tsunami occurred. As the tragedy unfolded over the weekend, it became clear that the crisis was complicated by nuclear considerations. All of our sympathies and condolences go with our Japanese friends as they go through this terrible natural disaster, possibly larger than the Kobe earthquake. When the Year of the