[Kim Seong-kon] War with fascism, communism, populism

Recently, I came across an intriguing article by a professor of sociology at Yonsei University. In that persuasive essay, the writer claimed that humans fought and won the battle with fascism in the early 20th century and with communism in the late 20th century. According to him, the great war of humanity is now against populism in the 21st century. Indeed, populism is seriously undermining democracy and human civilization these days. The term “populism,” which originally developed i

ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Biden’s 2024 bid harks back to the past

When the 1996 presidential campaign approached, Bill Clinton faced an uphill struggle to win a second term. His biggest legislative proposal, a sweeping health care bill, had failed. His party had lost the House of Representatives to Republicans led by a fiery conservative, Newt Gingrich. Clinton's poll ratings were sagging. So he tacked toward the center. He battled Gingrich to a standstill over GOP plans to cut spending on Medicare. He championed modest but popular proposals such as the

ViewpointsFeb. 22, 2023

[Jane Hoffman] Time to pull in reins of Big Tech

Every day, the $6.7 trillion Big Tech industry affects our lives in ways that empower and harm. Despite recent hits in earnings, current layoffs and Google getting slapped with yet another lawsuit from the Justice Department, the tech giants are still all-powerful in our society, economy and daily lives. As long as the digital age keeps pulling more of our lives online, Big Tech companies will grow and dominate. The big five -- Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Apple -- have become so lar

ViewpointsFeb. 21, 2023

[Ana Palacio] How West can woo Africa back from China, Russia

The United States is finally paying attention to Africa. But recent attempts at engagement -- the US-Africa Leaders Summit in December and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s 10-day tour of the continent last month -- have offered no indication that the US has anything close to a meaningful strategy for engagement with the continent. And the European Union is no better. Renewed Western interest in Africa is long overdue. The continent plays an essential role in world affairs, not least be

ViewpointsFeb. 21, 2023

[Sławomir Sierakowski] The constitutional chaos in Poland

Next door to Ukraine, where people are being killed every day for wanting to join the European Union, Polish leaders are waging what they have called a war on two fronts -- against both Russia and the EU. As a result of this “war,” the country’s populist government, led by the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, has failed to unlock the 160 billion euros ($170 billion) that was allocated to Poland under the EU’s pandemic recovery fund. While the government has negot

ViewpointsFeb. 20, 2023

[Tobias Bunde, Sophie Eisentraut] Re-envisioning liberal principles

While the world’s powers may not agree on much these days, most recognize that the world is at a critical juncture. US President Joe Biden’s National Security Strategy calls this the “decisive decade” in the contest for the future of the international order. Similarly, Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the world is entering “the most dangerous, unpredictable, and at the same time most important decade since the end of World War II.” For German Cha

ViewpointsFeb. 17, 2023

ASEAN-Korea Center kicks off annual council meeting

The ASEAN-Korea Center kicked off its annual council meeting in Seoul to review programs hosted in the fiscal year 2022 and discuss the budget for this year. Held after 3 years due to the pandemic, the offline meeting was attended by high level officials from governments, academia and the media of 10 ASEAN member countries. According to the AKC, the annual meeting is significant for ASEAN countries and Korea to bolster international cooperation efforts in the post-COVID era. The center will

Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023

ASEAN-Korea Center kicks off annual council meeting

The ASEAN-Korea Center kicked off its annual council meeting in Seoul to review programs hosted in the fiscal year 2022 and discuss the budget for this year. Held after 3 years due to the pandemic, the offline meeting was attended by high level officials from governments, academia and the media of 10 ASEAN member countries. According to the AKC, the annual meeting is significant for ASEAN countries and Korea to bolster international cooperation efforts in the post-COVID era. The center will pl

Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023

Waitingi Day celebrations in Korea

The New Zealand Embassy in Seoul commemorated Waitangi Day at the ambassador’s residence in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Tuesday. Waitangi Day is celebrated as New Zealand's national day to commemorate the first signing of New Zealand's founding document, known as the Treaty of Waitangi, signed between the British Crown and about 540 Maori rangatira on Feb. 6, 1840. The commemoration was followed by a reception to bid farewell to friends in Seoul for New Zealand ambassador to Korea Phillip Turner.

Foreign AffairsFeb. 16, 2023

[Lee Kyong-hee] Dokdo still unresolved as urgency mounts

Amid challenges to democracy around the world and military escalation in Asia, the United States, South Korea and Japan are discussing how to strengthen security cooperation. But Koreans have ample reason to feel uneasy. Will they be asked to ignore a territorial infringement that began 118 years ago? On Feb. 22, 1905, Japan arbitrarily “incorporated” Dokdo, a group of rocky islets known as Takeshima in Japan. The annexation supposedly was to ensure the safety of Japanese fishermen.

ViewpointsFeb. 16, 2023

[Nicholas Goldberg] What Oscars tell us about the world

Just what do the Academy Awards tell us about the world we live in? I began thinking about this after I was contacted by Carl Plantinga, a research fellow and professor of film and media studies at Calvin University in Michigan. Plantinga was pushing a theory that, for better or worse, Oscars for best picture tend to honor films with simple, straightforward, morally clear messages and are less likely to go to morally complex or ambiguous films. His argument -- laid out as the Academy of Motion P

ViewpointsFeb. 16, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] 'Where to?' Which path should we take?

When you take a taxi, the driver will ask, “Where to?” Upon knowing your destination, he will try to figure out the fastest way to reach it, avoiding traffic congestion and wrong turns, so you can arrive safely without any problems. Likewise, your political leaders should know your desired destination and choose the best way to reach it. If they happen to choose the wrong path or become blocked by traffic, if they have made a wrong turn at the intersection or have taken you to the wr

ViewpointsFeb. 15, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Spy balloon deflates US-China detente

The Chinese balloon that floated across the United States this month, apparently on a mission to collect intelligence, began its journey as a curiosity. Then it became a political metaphor: a symbol of US weakness to Republicans, a sign of President Joe Biden’s prudence to Democrats. Now, more than a week after the US Air Force shot it down, the errant balloon is gone, but its impact is still reverberating. The incident, and the larger Chinese program it revealed, is a serious obstacle to

ViewpointsFeb. 15, 2023