[Daniel DePetris] US can afford defense budget cut

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had to beg, plead and deal to get his current job. One of the agreements struck on the House floor with the most conservative faction of the Republican caucus was a promise to keep the next spending bill at levels that were agreed to in fiscal 2022. If McCarthy keeps his word, $130 billion in federal discretionary spending would be cut from the recently passed budget package. And if defense spending were to be included, $76 billion in military expenditures would be

Jan. 26, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] The ‘Iran enemy’ remarks and iron rules of diplomacy

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s recent visit to the United Arab Emirates achieved a huge result. It was one of the best results from a state visit, with Korea gaining $30 billion in investment commitments from the UAE. However, there is little discussion about this achievement in Korea. Instead, there is a backlash over diplomatic conflicts with Iran over President Yoon’s “Iran enemy” remarks. They came during a visit to South Korean military units dispatched to the UAE on Jan.

Jan. 26, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Does USA resemble ancient Greece or Rome?

People sometimes ask, “Does the USA more closely resemble ancient Greece or the Roman Empire?” The answer is “Both,” because America has characteristics of both Greece and Rome. Like ancient Greece, for example, America is devoted to noble ideas such as democracy and human rights. At the same time, however, like the Roman Empire, America embraces commercialism and pragmatism. As had ancient Greece, so too does America have internationally famed scholars, scientists and un

Jan. 25, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Frozen conflict looming in Ukraine

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s grand plan, this was to be the hard winter that would break Ukraine and divide its allies in the West. That hasn’t happened. Putin unleashed missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities and its electrical grid, but the Ukrainians repaired their transformers and fought on. Putin unleashed a mercenary force, the Wagner Group, which used convicts to try to take the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. They’re still trying. Putin cut natur

Jan. 20, 2023

[Sławomir Sierakowski] Russian aggression is undermining populism

Russia’s war in Ukraine has affected political life in countries around the world, and this influence has been greater in the countries that are politically closest not to Ukraine but to Russia. Because Ukraine is a democracy and Russia is an authoritarian kleptocracy, the war has highlighted a fundamental clash between alternative political systems. This dynamic raises the stakes considerably, because a military defeat for the democracy could be an invitation to dictators elsewhere to p

Jan. 19, 2023

[Lee Kyong-hee] One family’s way to forgive and reconcile

Amid the fractious relationship between Seoul and Tokyo, a heartwarming event illuminated a path forward, paying homage to courageous individuals past and present. The occasion: presentation of an award memorializing a legendary Korean independence fighter. The recipient: former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who has advocated his country’s “infinite responsibility” as a former colonizer. For years, Hatoyama has been the most vocal -- and solitary -- mainstream Japanes

Jan. 19, 2023

[Elizabeth Shackelford] Let’s avoid another nuclear arms race

In an annual exercise since 1947, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists sets its Doomsday Clock to provide an educated guess of how close humanity is to the apocalypse. The organization will announce its 2023 clock this month, and I expect the outlook is bleaker. If the United States responds to rising nuclear danger with more arms control instead of more weapons, it could help push the clock’s hands back again. Last year was a reminder that the nuclear threat most of us spend little time

Jan. 18, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Beware! Somebody is gaslighting you

Merriam-Webster has announced that “gaslighting” is the official word of the year for 2022. Indeed, the term “gaslighting” and various examples of it were part of a popular meme that circulated the internet last year. This suggests that many people all over the world had reason to pay attention to gaslighting last year because it had affected their lives in one way or another. What, then, is gaslighting? Evan Hecht, writing in USA Today, provides a concise definition from

Jan. 18, 2023

[Andrew Sheng] Piloting Spaceship Earth in the New Year

As we begin the New Year and approach Chinese New Year, we need to reflect on how to face a grimly uncertain future. Gold prices are back up, the Ukraine war grinds on horrendously, politics are messier than ever and most analysts signal a recession ahead. The World Bank’s latest outlook sees the global economy growing by only 1.7 percent in 2023 and 2.7 percent in 2024. That’s a full one percentage decline from the IMF forecast in October 2022 for 2023 of 2.7 percent. The World Bank

Jan. 17, 2023

[Dror Goldberg] The upside-down world of bitcoin

The transition of Croatia into the euro currency zone these days can teach us a lot about bitcoin in the US. According to the ideology of bitcoinism, the citizens of Croatia are making a huge mistake in obeying this transition and abandoning their legacy currency, the kuna. According to bitcoinism, the kuna will become ideal money for the people of Croatia because the government of Croatia decided to kill it. If that seems strange, then you haven’t spent enough time in the upside-down worl

Jan. 16, 2023

Polish ambassador expects further upgrade in bilateral ties this year

Polish ambassador Piotr Ostaszewski said he expects to see further development in bilateral relations this year, noting that the two countries have seen their ties rapidly developing in the wake of $14.7 billion worth of deal to export Korean defense systems and weapons to the European country last year. "The best partnership emerges when both partners understand each other," said Ostaszewski applauding 34 years of Polish-Korea relations that flourished in the 1990s and went through tr

Jan. 16, 2023

Canada reaffirms commitment with Korea to address global challenges

Canadian Embassy reaffirmed its commitment with Korea to address global challenges at an event hosted to mark the 60th anniversary of Canada-Korea diplomatic relations in Seoul on Thursday. Canada established diplomatic relations with Korea on Jan. 14, 1963. Delivering a welcoming address at the event, the Canadian Embassy's Charge d'Affaires, Tamara Mawhinney highlighted the significance of the 60 years of Canada-Korea relations. She expressed Canada's commitment to the Comprehen

Jan. 16, 2023

[Eduardo Porter] First the US, then Brazil. Where next?

There is something pathetic about the gangs of crazed supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro that stormed Brazil’s congressional building, presidential offices and Supreme Court on Sunday. Congress was not even in session. The mutineers were late: President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had been inaugurated a week before. He wasn’t even in the capital on the day, but in Sao Paulo, 1,000 kilometers. away. If they hoped to topple democracy and prevent the peaceful transfer of power

Jan. 16, 2023

[Robert J. Fouser] US-China relations downward spiral

Normally, the election of a speaker of the US House of Representatives doesn’t make much news, but not this year. After four days of voting and 15 ballots, Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected speaker in the early hours of last Saturday. To get over the top, McCarthy gave into a long list of demands from far-right members of his paper-thin Republican majority. Starting Monday this week, the new Republican majority began exerting its control over the House. Votes on the rules package, th

Jan. 13, 2023

[Clive Crook] US, UK conservatives in a fix

For the past few years, the US and the UK have followed strikingly similar political trajectories. Against all odds, populist uprisings captured both countries’ conservative parties, secured power and embarked on projects of national transformation. These efforts went badly (to put it generously), and in due course support for the rebellions subsided. Lately voters have been calling for a rethink. In both countries, this is proving harder than you’d suppose. In 2016, Americans stunne

Jan. 12, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] Drones incurred lots of ugly scenes. The worst is partisanship

Dec. 26 last year was a shameful day for the South Korean military. As five drones from North Korea infiltrated into the South Korean airspace for many hours, it failed to shoot them down and only watched as one returned to the North. Military authorities should not only reflect on the disappointment of the people, but also focus on establishing measures to prevent a recurrence. The task should be shared by the government and at national levels. However, looking at the recent discussions in Se

Jan. 12, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Standing between the winds and the waves

Metaphorically speaking, South Korea stands between the winds and the waves. That is to say, South Korea is located between continental and oceanic civilizations. According to the late cultural critic, Lee O-young, in the countries that belong to the continental civilization, people frequently use expressions with the word “wind” in it. For example, they say, “What wind brought you here?” Or “the coffee wind is blowing,” meaning: “Drinking coffee is fash

Jan. 11, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Who won from US House fight?

The television split screen told the story. On one side, Republicans in the House of Representatives labored through the fourth of the 15 ballots they needed during four days of gridlock to choose Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker. On the other side, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell stood beaming with President Joe Biden as they congratulated each other for a bipartisan success: a $1.6 billion deal to replace a crumbling highway bridge across the Ohio River. On one side, partisan dysfunctio

Jan. 11, 2023

[Peter Singer] In defense of the art-targeting climate activists

Last July, two activists from Just Stop Oil entered London’s National Gallery and made their way to John Constable’s “The Hay Wain,” an iconic painting of rural England as it was 200 years ago. After covering the painting with an image of environmental destruction, they glued their hands to the frame and awaited arrest. Three months later, another pair of activists went to the National Gallery and threw tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.” In

Jan. 10, 2023

[Jerald McNair] We need to take bold steps to help our struggling youths in 2023

Starting the new year with legislation that prohibits anyone younger than 18 from having a social media account would benefit our youths. In Texas, that could become a reality. A state representative there has proposed legislation that would ban minors from having social media profiles. While it certainly will be met with some criticism, there is enough data to support this legislation. Consider the rising number of youths suffering from depression and anxiety. From 2005 to 2015, depression incr

Jan. 10, 2023