[Slawomir Sierakowski] The twilight of EU foreign policy

Reporting on a recent conference in Berlin to discuss the conflict in Libya, one of Germany’s largest newspapers, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, notes that, “the days when America dominated the Middle East are over.” For more than a decade, the United States has been pulling back, forcing Europe to unfurl its own protective umbrella, either through the European Union or through the foreign policies of individual member states. It is now clear that the second option is winnin

Jan. 29, 2020

[Kim Myong-sik] Moon, Choo must cooperate in Yoon’s probe

Battles are underway on multiple fronts ahead of the general election this spring. Of course, noisiest are the demonstrations at Gwanghwamun and those in Seocho-dong, Seoul, by anti- and pro-government groups alike, though they are still abstaining from violence. Amazing yet saddening is the vehement contest between the two top authorities of law enforcement. When President Moon Jae-in appointed Choo Mi-ae as justice minister, the new minister wasted little time before transferring senior a

Jan. 29, 2020

[Kim Seong-kon] Clones and drones in era of AI

Recently, Korean universities are busy belatedly preparing for the “Age of Artificial Intelligence,” implementing new curricula and projects in academic departments and graduate schools and hiring experts in AI. It is high time, then, that we should ponder issues related to artificial intelligence with reference to our present predicament. “Oblivion,” a 2013 post-apocalyptic science fiction film set in 2077, well illustrates problems related to AI. In 2017, extraterrest

Jan. 28, 2020

[Robert J. Fouser] Reviving economic growth in South Korea

South Korea’s economy grew 2.01 percent in 2019, just over the government goal of 2 percent. The growth rate is the lowest since 2009, when the world economy was reeling from the effects of the 2008 financial crisis. Increased government spending helped offset weak exports and private investment. Government spending may help boost the economy over the short term, but it is not sustainable over the long term. Compared to many advanced nations, 2 percent growth is an admirable achievement.

Jan. 28, 2020

[Borge Brende] Cooperation in unsettled world

The world is at a turning point, with power shifting and dispersing in ways that signal the emergence of a new multipolar era. In the resulting turbulent global environment, opportunities to compete or cooperate are increasing across several domains. In areas such as the economy, technology and the environment, the question is whether parties will seek progress toward common objectives or strategic advantages over competitors. For much of the post-Cold-War era, issues like trade, scientific res

Jan. 27, 2020

[Jonathan Bernstein] Unspoken charge that should doom Trump: lawlessness

For three days, the House managers serving as prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump set out the details of his effort to strong-arm Ukraine into aiding his 2020 reelection, and then argued that those details constitute reason to remove him from office. They made a strong case. Using the power of the presidency to push a foreign power to smear a political opponent is an abuse of that power, a “high crime and misdemeanor” in the constitutional phrase set

Jan. 27, 2020

[Sarita Nayyar] The case for consumption equality

Discussions about economic development often focus on how to increase income equality. More recently, however, thoughtful observers have begun to regard consumption equality -- the equal use of goods and services -- as a more robust indicator of parity in human wellbeing. After all, it more accurately captures inequality as people experience it when they consume, and consumption can be affected by borrowing and saving, as well as by social safety-net programs.But consumption equality is a double

Jan. 23, 2020

[Lindsay Gorman] Trump’s weak trade deal with China completely ignores big picture

By many counts, the trade deal President Donald Trump signed on Jan. 15 with China lacks heft. It doesn’t remove all the tariffs, it doesn’t impose any major penalties on intellectual property theft, and it punts completely on issues including China’s state subsidies to prop up its own companies in international markets.Yet on one matter, the agreement could dramatically alter the US-China relationship and the future of global democracy.At the signing, Trump trumpeted a future

Jan. 22, 2020

[Leonid Bershidsky] Making babies to grow economies won’t work

In his recent state of the nation address, Russian President Vladimir Putin spent about 20 minutes on a sweeping constitutional reform proposal designed to keep him in power indefinitely -- and about twice as much time on ideas meant to boost the birth rate. This is typical of Europe’s national-conservative governments, and even some relatively liberal ones, that are preoccupied with fertility policies because of declining populations.　In a just-published working paper, economist Charles J

Jan. 22, 2020

[Trudy Rubin] Which 2020 Democrats are best on foreign policy?

Although foreign policy has hardly figured in the Democratic primaries, the impeachment trial reminds us it’s time to look at which Trump opponent would make the best commander in chief.Almost any candidate would be preferable to a president who disgraces his office by trying to blackmail a foreign leader into investigating his Democratic opponent. And Trump’s second demand of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy -- to pursue a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Ru

Jan. 21, 2020

[Kim Seong-kon] Joseon era of 19th century vs. 21st century Korea

Many analysts and historians point out that the current political situation of South Korea resembles that of the Joseon era in the late 19th century. To say the least, it would be embarrassing and disheartening if 21st century Korea still could not overcome the traumatic situation it experienced in the late 19th century. Nevertheless, we may be able to obtain some insights and hindsight from the comparison.In the late 19th century, Joseon, which changed its name to Korea later, was helplessly lo

Jan. 21, 2020

[Anjani Trivedi] China spins a trade-deal trap in bad debt market

China is opening the deepest, darkest corner of its strained financial system to American financial institutions. It’s not clear why investors would want to go there, even with their eyes wide open.As part of President Donald Trump’s “phase one” trade deal, China will allow US institutions to apply for asset management company licenses (beginning with the provinces), permitting them to acquire non-performing loans directly from Chinese banks. Previously, foreign investors

Jan. 20, 2020

[Noah Smith] The sitcom that gets America’s working class

Sitcoms are an underrated way of portraying the economic challenges faced by average people. “Atlanta” shows the travails of working-class black Americans navigating a world of hassle, insecurity and poverty. The Canadian program “Kim’s Convenience” depicts immigrant small-business owners and their second-generation children off to a rocky start on their rise into the middle class. Broad economic trends form the backdrop to both of shows -- the loss of dependable ma

Jan. 20, 2020

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] The truth about the Trump economy

As the world’s business elites trek to Davos for their annual gathering, people should be asking a simple question: Have they overcome their infatuation with US President Donald Trump?Two years ago, a few rare corporate leaders were concerned about climate change, or upset at Trump’s misogyny and bigotry. Most, however, were celebrating the president’s tax cuts for billionaires and corporations and looking forward to his efforts to deregulate the economy. That would allow busin

Jan. 19, 2020

[Digital Simplicity] What Cartman missed when he faked Tourette syndrome

When Eric Cartman in the animated TV series “South Park” came up with an evil plan to fake Tourette syndrome, the chief purpose was to say whatever he wanted. He took advantage of the fact that some people with Tourette syndrome have what is called coprolalia, or involuntary swearing. By faking Tourette syndrome, Cartman successfully got away with shouting obscenities, at least initially in the episode titled “Le Petit Tourette” aired in 2007. There’s a typical Sout

Jan. 17, 2020

[Leonid Bershidsky] Libya’s endless war is what happens if US won’t lead

A solution to the civil conflict in Libya is the ultimate hot potato. A series of global and regional powers have tried to bring the warring sides together; Turkey and Russia were the latest to try and fail in Moscow on Monday. Now it’s Germany’s turn, and if it fails as well, the standoff is likely to go on until the collapse of one faction or both. The complex, multisided game playing out in Libya provides a window on how things work in a new, post-Pax Americana world. An assertive

Jan. 16, 2020

[David Fickling] HK could be a loser from trade deal

As the gateway for China’s trade with the world for more than 70 years, Hong Kong might be expected to benefit from the phase one deal that Beijing will sign with Washington on Wednesday. Chances are, things won’t pan out that way. Consider the $200 billion increase in Chinese imports from the US over the next two years that Washington hopes to see as a result of the agreement. Such a rise would involve nearly doubling inbound trade.That’s difficult, but not impossible. China&r

Jan. 16, 2020

[Kim Myong-sik] Sadly reading Moon’s inaugural address again

The bumpy political path of our republic in the 21st century has had two major upheavals involving former presidents: the suicide of Roh Moo-hyun and the impeachment of Park Geun-hye. They resulted from aggravated power contests. Political power has alternated between the right and left, like seasonal winds blowing on this peninsula, northwesterly in winter and southeasterly in summer. Ideological polarization has developed, along with a vicious circle of political vendetta, as rivals fail to ma

Jan. 15, 2020

[Elizabeth Drew ] Trump’s near miss with Iran

The recent tense, dangerous exchanges between the United States and Iran have revealed a great deal about US President Donald Trump’s management of his foreign policy. The main conclusion is that he doesn’t have one. Weighty decisions are made on the basis of gut reactions and often-contradictory impulses -- for example, simultaneously seeking agreement and threatening the use of force. If there is any overarching vision or philosophy, it is that he wants to avoid another long, costl

Jan. 15, 2020

[Robert J. Fouser] Outlook for the National Assembly election

Rumbling and positioning for the National Assembly election this April will intensify after the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January. The results of the election will impact the rest of President Moon Jae-in’s term and set the stage for the next presidential election in May 2022.Currently, no party has a majority in the National Assembly. President Moon’s Democratic Party is the largest party, but it relies on support from sympathetic minor parties and independents. The large

Jan. 14, 2020