[Editorial] Denuclearization in sync

The steps North Korea vowed to take to denuclearize after this week’s summit with the South are moving in the right direction, but leave much to be desired.　South Korea’s efforts to improve inter-Korean relations are moving too fast, regardless.　It is somewhat meaningful for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to have mentioned “the Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats” in a public place with his own voice. It is the first time that a member of the Kim family, which has ruled

Sept. 20, 2018

[Kai-Fu Lee] AI could devastate developing world

Most studies on the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs and the economy have focused on developed countries such as the US and Britain. But through my work as a scientist, technology executive and venture capitalist in the US and China, I’ve come to believe that the gravest threat AI poses is to emerging economies.　In recent decades, China and India have presented the world with two different models for how such countries can climb the development ladder. In the China model, a nation lever

Sept. 19, 2018

[Tyler Cowen] China not America’s next great enemy

If the lack of an external enemy since the end of the Cold War has made America weak and feckless, as some argue, then can the rise of China give America a newfound vigor and sense of purpose? Probably not.　There are several differences between the former Soviet Union and contemporary China that help explain why the USSR came across as so much more threatening. The Soviets had a string of leaders who were well suited to play movie villains. Stalin murdered millions and radiated evil. Khrushchev

Sept. 19, 2018

[Lionel Laurent] Macron preaches change but pulls his punches

For a nation of supposedly “stubborn Gauls,” as President Emmanuel Macron described his people last month, the French seem to have taken his economic reform medicine with few complaints. This should not be a surprise. Despite the cliches, surveys mainly show that the French approve of public spending cuts and the rhythm of change introduced since Macron took power in 2017.　Yet clearly Macron is not loved, either. His dwindling approval ratings invoke unfavorable comparisons with predecessors lik

Sept. 19, 2018

[Anjani Trivedi] Sanctions threaten to shoot down China’s spyware star

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology is a rare example of a Chinese national champion that’s also become a global leader. But the very ties to China’s surveillance state that powered the company’s rise now threaten to check its progress.　Hikvision’s footprint has grown in tandem with China’s political agenda. Its cameras dot the western region of Xinjiang, where the government has greatly expanded its security apparatus and faces accusations of human rights abuses. The US is now considering san

Sept. 18, 2018

[Leonid Bershidsky] Russia’s thugs may be too much for its technocrats

Many countries present a number of different faces to the world, but Russia goes them all one better. Its government is a Janus whose faces are so at odds they might come from separate species.　One of these faces got a lot of airtime last week. First, Gen. Viktor Zolotov, head of Russia’s National Guard, published the video of his out-of-control rant against anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny, who had accused him of involvement in corrupt procurement practices. Zolotov runs an armed force o

Sept. 18, 2018

[Christopher Balding] A road map for the great US-China divorce

As the trade war between the US and China drags on with new tariffs and no end in sight, we need to ask ourselves: What do they want? A fundamental objective for both is to become less reliant on the other. The trade war should thus be reframed as a conscious uncoupling.　Behind the rhetoric from both sides lies a profound distrust. US suspicion stems from two specific issues. China is increasingly seen as a national security threat that fails to play by the rules. The Trump administration’s stan

Sept. 18, 2018

[James Stavridis] Suffering Venezuelans need US to stay hands-off

When I served as commander of the US Southern Command, my first four-star assignment, I visited every country and territory in Latin America -- except Venezuela. By the end of the first decade of the 21st century, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had destroyed relations with the US, cratered the country’s economy and polarized its electorate.Death by violence soared, hitting levels 10 times that of the US, and 50 times higher than Western Europe. The nation’s abundance of oil became a curse, as

Sept. 17, 2018

[Anjani Trivedi] China’s look beneath Toyota’s hood sets uneasy precedent

Watch out car companies, here comes the long arm of the Chinese state.　Toyota Motor Corp. is preparing to hand Beijing the technology behind the Prius, its almost-eponymous hybrid car, Bloomberg News reported Thursday. The move comes as Chinese officials push for bluer skies and cleaner vehicles, but it’s an aggressive overture for a company that had, until recently, a passive presence in the world’s biggest car market.　For Toyota’s peers, the agreement would set a scary precedent. Sharing know-

Sept. 17, 2018

[Dov Waxman] PLO can’t be pushed into peace deal

The Donald Trump administration’s decision to close the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington last week is the latest in a series of punitive actions it has taken against the Palestinians. The purpose is clear: to force the PLO and its ailing octogenarian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to restart peace talks with Israel and, ultimately, to accept the administration’s long-awaited peace plan. This strategy of coercion and collective punishment is bound to fail.　In a recent pre-Rosh Has

Sept. 17, 2018

[Adam Minter] China’s dimming its biggest stars

By late spring, Fan Bingbing, China’s most popular actress, had become a cultural juggernaut. She had 63 million followers on Weibo, China’s Twitter-like social network, and high-profile endorsement deals with some of the world’s most prominent luxury brands. Besides roles in major Chinese and Hollywood films, she’d just enjoyed a prestigious turn as a juror at the Cannes Film Festival. If Anne Hathaway and the Kardashians merged, they would still have fallen short of Fan’s ubiquitous stardom.　T

Sept. 16, 2018

[David Ignatius] Kerry’s memoir shows a man strong enough to not worry about looking weak

The public conversation this past week was dominated by a book about a man who is obsessed with winning, President Trump. Too little attention was given to a book about someone who illustrates the benefits of losing, former Secretary of State John Kerry. Kerry’s memoir, “Every Day Is Extra,” was published in early September. It’s interesting less for new revelations about diplomacy or politics (there aren’t many) than for its study of a politician’s character, and how it was shaped by personal a

Sept. 16, 2018