In 2016, the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum and Donald Trump’s election to the US presidency created an impression that Eastern European-style populism was engulfing the West. In reality, the situation in Western Europe and the US is starkly different.As political scientists Martin Eiermann, Yascha Mounk and Limor Goultchin of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change have shown, only in Europe’s postcommunist east do populists routinely beat traditional parties in elections. Of 15 Eastern

Washington’s withdrawal of Korea expert Victor Cha from consideration for ambassador to South Korea shows US President Donald Trump’s North Korea policy is much more hard-line than expected.Cha had all but been officially nominated to be Trump’s first ambassador to South Korea, with Washington asking for Seoul’s diplomatic consent to his appointment last year. But his nomination did not occur. It is rare for Washington to withdraw an ambassador nominee whom Seoul had already signed off on. The q

Korea has largely been spared from the global #MeToo movement, in which victims of sexual misconduct make public revelations of their own cases. That does not mean that sexual misdeeds in this society are not as pervasive as in other countries. As a matter of fact, sexual scandals – big and small – used to hit Korean society from time to time, touching off public backlashes and outcries. But none of them have prompted a public campaign on the level of the #MeToo movement. It is against this back

This was a long, long, long State of the Union speech. It was heavy on traumatic stories of guests in the gallery, and light -- in most cases, extremely light -- on the policies that would turn words into action.　As a piece of rhetoric, Trump’s speech was dull, albeit no duller than most State of the Union speeches. Presidents usually struggle to rise above this annual occasion even if they are good at soaring -- and soaring is not Trump’s strength as a public speaker.It stood out mostly for the

Last week, China said it plans to build a “Polar Silk Road” that will open shipping lanes across the largely pristine region at the top of the world. It’s an ambitious idea for a country that lacks an Arctic border, and it has raised concerns around the world about China’s ultimate intentions and its capacity for environmental stewardship. Although these are reasonable worries, they’re almost certainly overblown.　In theory, melting Arctic ice will create a significant economic opportunity. By on

Each year disasters caused by natural and human induced hazards cause enormous damage to cultural heritage, which include historic buildings, urban areas, museums, libraries and archives depriving communities of their irreplaceable cultural assets. Moreover, damage to cultural landscapes and local flora and fauna in general cause loss of valued ecosystem services, thereby putting sustainability of local communities at risk. Often disasters also affect the intangible cultural heritage of traditio