[Martin Schram] Did Xi just learn from Putin?

This was not the way Russia’s (President) Vladimir Putin wanted to look, for all the world to see on Thursday, when he walked into the massive and bizarrely flowered and leafy conference room in Uzbekistan for his much-needed meeting with a deep-pocketed counterpart, China’s (President) Xi Jinping. Putin, who has perfected the art and skill of walking into a summit with his dictator’s swagger-strut that exudes confidence, must feel these days like he’s walking with his te

ViewpointsSept. 20, 2022

[Josep Borrell] The strategy against Russia must continue

Russia’s war against Ukraine has entered a new phase. The Ukrainian army is making spectacular advances, liberating many towns and villages, and forcing Russian forces to retreat. While it remains to be seen how far the Ukrainian counteroffensive will go, it is already clear that the strategic balance on the ground is shifting. Meanwhile, the European Union has fully mobilized to confront the energy crisis. We have filled our gas storage facilities to above 80 percent -- well ahead of the

ViewpointsSept. 19, 2022

[Lee Seog-kwang] Upon Queen Elizabeth II’s passing: ‘Your Servant’

Queen Elizabeth II has departed from her long life of service, leaving for us an exemplary record of service bespoke of her commitment to the same. Whereas a great many extraordinary epithets are being offered by means of respect and admiration, she herself would frequently describe herself by this dedication to service in signing royal documents alongside the phrase, "Your Servant." Whatever the presuppositions may be regarding the nature of being a ruling monarch, Queen Elizabeth II

ViewpointsSept. 19, 2022

[Daniel Johnson] Why women leave US military early

This year, the US military is behind recruiting goals by 23 percent, with the Army alone estimating it will miss goals by nearly 40,000 personnel over the next two years. Now, with the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a new front has emerged that will likely exacerbate the military’s personnel struggle. The recent decision by the Department of Veterans Affairs to provide abortion access to female veterans is much needed; unfortunately, active duty service members mus

ViewpointsSept. 16, 2022

[Xuedong Huang] Empowering the Digital Transformation of Education with Artificial Intelligence

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, I witnessed the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) could transform the future of education for both teachers and students.  In this video, a young student independently read out loud into a web cam from a teacher-supplied assignment and received feedback on ways to improve their reading fluency. It's the type of remote learning scenario that has become common during the pandemic.  But, what's uncommon in this interaction is how the as

ViewpointsSept. 15, 2022

[Lee Kyong-hee] Inter-Korean shared roots of gayageum music

Nestled on the southwestern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Yeongam is a rural county in South Jeolla Province with some 53,000 residents. This is where players of the gayageum, a traditional Korean zither with 12 silk strings, gather from around the nation to compete every fall. The backdrop is Wolchulsan, a mountain with exquisite rock peaks that famously anchor a national park. Yeongam also is said to be the birthplace of Wang In, a legendary scholar who introduced Chinese characters and classic

ViewpointsSept. 15, 2022

[Elizabeth Shackelford] Don’t let China’s rights abuses pay off

The international community should make China a pariah for its crimes against the Uyghur population. Last month’s report from the UN Human Rights Office says China’s actions could constitute crimes against humanity. The United States and others have called it genocide. But China’s massive role in our highly integrated global economy means meaningful action will be costly. A complete economic divorce is impractical, but the United States can and should work with like-minded part

ViewpointsSept. 14, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] Missing the great America I used to know

The title may be misleading, but I do not miss the “Great America” that Donald Trump promised in his political campaign motto “Make America Great Again.” I miss the truly great America I used to know and admired in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s when I lived in the US. I miss the great America that heartily pursued and generously embraced cultural and ethnic diversity. I miss the great America that was warmhearted and friendly to foreigners and immigrants. I miss the great Am

ViewpointsSept. 14, 2022

[Trudy Rubin] Queen Elizabeth’s death deprives Britain and the world of a rock of stability

When it comes to Queen Elizabeth II, it is the marmalade sandwich I will always remember. For those who never saw the video she made with an animated Paddington Bear that was released during her Platinum Jubilee in June, now is the time to watch it on YouTube. Watching Paddington tip his hat and thank the queen “for everything” (after she has just pulled a marmalade sandwich from her purse to show him) was incredibly touching. But, when the two then began to clink their spoons on the

ViewpointsSept. 13, 2022

[Robert J. Fouser] Problems with country-of-the future analyses

Suddenly, almost overnight, China is now seen as a declining power. Articles and columns discussing how slowing growth, an aging population, and inward-looking nationalism will send China into decline have appeared everywhere. This marks a sea change away from long-held predictions that China would become the pre-eminent economic power in the world. The shift reflects a long tradition in the West of jumping to extremes in discussing Asia. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, the rise of Japa

ViewpointsSept. 9, 2022

[Kevin Shird] Reparations would acknowledge injustice

It’s widely understood that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. evolved significantly on the issue of reparations during his short lifetime. Toward the start of his career, he was a moralist in his thinking, rather than the radical economic thinker he later became. In 2018, I befriended Dr. King’s former barber, Nelson Malden, now in his late 80s, and wrote a book with him titled “The Colored Waiting Room” about Nelson’s life and the American civil rights movement

ViewpointsSept. 8, 2022

[Kim Myong-sik] Migrant workers to sustain Korea’s economic future

Some old Koreans may remember the sight of a group of women from the provinces boarding an airplane bound for Okinawa at Gimpo International Airport to work at a farm in the southern Japanese island -- sometime in the late 1950s. It was an event for celebration because these young women represented the first South Korean migrant workers leaving their homes to earn foreign money on a government-arranged contract. A few years later, the military government that took power in a coup began extra e

ViewpointsSept. 8, 2022