The Korea Herald

[Meghan Daum] Narcissism ― is America too obsessed with it?

Jan 10, 2011

At any given moment a whole lot of people are accusing a whole lot of other people of being narcissists. In recent years, the term for a self-destructive “personality disorder” has become the insult of choice for almost anyone doing almost anything.The concept of narcissism as a broad cultural condition, and the word’s use as an everyday term, goes back several decades. Christopher Lasch published
[Pio Song] The most ‘Korean’ country in Europe

Jan 10, 2011

When asked which European country Korea might resemble the most, many think of Italy for its being a peninsula, having a similar climate, love for their national cuisine, fashion addiction and passion for music. Others point to Ireland because of their insularity (South Korea being virtually an island after the Korean War), heavy drinking capacity and singing skills. Historically both Italy and Ir
[Mary Sanchez] Removing n-word from canonical novel

Jan 10, 2011

This is a column about a word no newspaper will print.You see the quandary. If I can’t write the word and expect it to be published, how can you, the reader, understand my points, and agree or disagree?Nonetheless, such a stripping of vocabulary will occur in a new edition of Mark Twain’s classic “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” This revised version, to be released in February, will delete the ra
Korean tension affects East Asian stability

Jan 9, 2011

The current tension on the Korean Peninsula continues to have repercussions on the security and economic climate of East Asia, and indeed the rest of the world. Since the end of the Korean War some six decades ago, the stability of the two Koreas has occasionally been rattled, and official peace on the peninsula remains elusive.Nobody really imagined that the current situation on the peninsula wou
[Ann Woolner] Women aren’t people under Scalia’s constitution

Jan 9, 2011

I tend to think of myself as a person. I’d hazard a guess that most, maybe all, American women consider themselves to be actual human beings, too.The U.S. Supreme Court said that’s what we are, although it took the court until 1971 to say so.Justice Antonin Scalia still doesn’t believe it. In an interview in this month’s California Lawyer magazine, he said that the 14th Amendment means only men wh
[DAVID IGNATIUS] U.S. buying time with Iran

Jan 9, 2011

WASHINGTON ― The Obama administration has concluded that Iran’s nuclear program has been slowed by a combination of sanctions, sabotage and Iran’s own technical troubles. Because of the delay, U.S. officials see what one describes as “a little bit of space” before any military showdown with Iran. Israeli officials, too, see more time on the clock. Moshe Yaalon, Israel’s deputy prime minister, note
[Thomas J. Donohue] Korean trade pact a welcome shot for U.S.

Jan 9, 2011

WASHINGTON ― A funny thing happened in the wake of the midterm elections: Washington entered into an era of bipartisanship, and trade is the unlikely topic of agreement.From the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the United Auto Workers, President Obama’s announcement that he’ll send the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) to Congress early this year has been applauded. Trade leaders from both partie
[Mohamed A. El-Erian] Country of the future owes much to one man

Jan 9, 2011

Eight years ago, a newly elected president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, faced the challenge of saving Brazil from economic and financial collapse.Last Saturday, Lula passed the presidency to Dilma Rousseff having done much, much more than that during his two terms. In the process, he relied on four simple pillars that other leaders would be well advised to consider.After winning a hotly contested p
[Shlomo Ben Ami] The chaotic birth of South Sudan

Jan 9, 2011

MADRID ― The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that was reached in 2005 between mostly Christian southern Sudan and the country’s Muslim North, ended one of the bloodiest civil wars in modern times. Lasting 22 years, that war left more than two million dead. Now the CPA is poised to face its most vital test: the South’s referendum on independence, scheduled for Jan. 9.Whether or not a new state
The consequences of choosing bigger vehicles

Jan 7, 2011

Good news: With recession loosening its grip, about 1.1 million more Americans bought new cars last year than in 2009.Not only did sales pick up, more Americans opted for bigger vehicles. Sales of midsize SUVs like Jeep Grand Cherokees and Honda Pilots jumped 41 percent during the first 11 months of the year.That increase came at the expense of smaller economy cars, whose sales remained flat in 20
Gun tracing: A weapon against drug cartels

Jan 7, 2011

Mexico has some of the strictest gun laws in the hemisphere. Citizens are permitted to buy low-caliber firearms for self-protection or hunting, but only after a background check and approval by the defense ministry; they must also purchase the guns directly from the ministry. The goal of this parsimonious approach to allotting firearms is a society free from gun violence. Unfortunately for Mexico,
[Marvin Weinbaum and Waris Husain] A blow to a liberal Pakistan

Jan 7, 2011

The assassination of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, has illustrated the increasingly chaotic environment in that country, which only promises to get worse in the new year. Weeks before his death, Taseer had the courage to say what his fellow politicians were unwilling to: that Pakistan’s blasphemy law must be repealed in order for Pakistan to enter the communit
[Daoud Kuttab] Gap between peace and peace process

Jan 7, 2011

RAMALLAH ― The United States should stop pushing for the resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. Doing so might be the best way to achieve peace ― a paradox that reflects the huge gap between a peace process and achieving genuine peace.Make no mistake: this is not a call to arms or an appeal for a violent uprising. Peace between the conflicting parties east of the Mediterranean and we
[Editorial] Risk of relying on China for rare earths

Jan 7, 2011

China’s new policy on rare earth mineral exports is causing concern that Japan will face another reduction in supplies of the valuable raw materials from that country in 2011.Chinese authorities have announced their country will lower its ceiling on rare earth exports for the first half of this year by 35 percent from the same period last year. It appears likely that China will eventually impose t
[Editorial] Too many bad losers

Jan 7, 2011

Politicians in Taiwan are bad losers. They won’t take their losses lying down. They will whine, complain, protest, and go to court, even though they know they were beaten in elections fair and square. Tsai Ing-wen, chairperson of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, has joined their ranks after she lost the mayoral election in the special municipality of New Taipei City a little more than