‘Stand Your Ground’ invites vigilantism

The controversy surrounding the killing of Trayvon Martin has officially entered the political football phase. Right-wingers have taken to disseminating a photograph of Martin meant to depict him less as a young, innocent boy and more as an original gangsta. That the photograph is a fake has only proved to be a minor obstacle. Meanwhile, others have taken to disseminating the personal information of Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, online. There are many problems with this tactic, ethical and

April 8, 2012

Yale can ensure rights on Singapore campus

In fall 2013, when the eager Yale freshmen converge on New Haven, Connecticut, they will be joined by classmates thousands of miles away on the school’s satellite campus in Singapore. A joint venture with the National University of Singapore, Yale-NUS promises to “draw on the best elements of the American liberal arts tradition, but reshape and reimagine the curriculum and collegiate experience for Asia.” What this reshaping and reimagining actually means has been a source of concern for many at

April 8, 2012

Status of English language in Thailand not important ― education is key issue

Lately there has been increasing debate about the status of the English language in Thai society.Many arguments are made for and against the relevance of English and its usefulness. Arguments made by Thai politicians take us back and forth about the role of English and distract us from the realities of this new century. This nationalistic faction believes that imposing the English language on Thai people is against their culture, heritage and unique identity. The same group also argues that Thai

April 8, 2012

Bomb attack unlikely to be the last of its kind

Nonetheless, people are doing their best to cope with this tragic situation. The Kingdom mourns for the victims and condemns the culprits behind these attacks.Now, the question is whether security officials and those in positions of power and authority have done their best to protect innocent citizens and whether they can prevent similar attacks from happening again.Top security officials seem not to be totally surprised by the weekend attacks. In fact, according to what Deputy Prime Minister Ge

April 6, 2012

End banks’ monopoly in China

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao emphasized, during his investigative tour on April 3 of enterprises in Fujian province facing financing problems, that the central authorities have “unified their thoughts” on the necessity of breaking the monopoly of state-owned banks and opening up the financial sector so that private capital can feed cash-starved smaller enterprises.Wen’s comments come hard on the heels of the announcement that Wenzhou will be the pilot for financial reforms that will allow local re

April 6, 2012

Chance for Myanmar to make up for lost time

The near sweep by Aung San Suu Kyi’s party in the Myanmar by-elections vindicates the once-proscribed National League for Democracy (NLD). Of intriguing significance is what the development could mean for the country’s rehabilitation. In the eyes of voters, Suu Kyi’s restoration to the parliamentary process, after a long enforced absence, is so complete that she could pose a credible challenge to President Thein Sein’s ruling party. Parliamentary elections are due in 2015. The NLD won 43 of the

April 6, 2012

Terrorist hijacks French presidential elections

In France, an Islamic terrorist has likely hijacked the agenda for the remainder of the French presidential race. That terrorist is 23-year-old Mohammed Merah, a Franco-Algerian from Toulouse who was fatally riddled with bullets by French forces last week after a 30-hour standoff and took the television remotes of an entire nation with him.Because of Merah, an election fought on economic grounds has become dominated almost exclusively by national security. The extreme nationalist National Front

April 5, 2012

“Terrorists” at Home

Last week, I submitted an affidavit to support an important lawsuit brought by reporter Chris Hedges and others, including Daniel Ellsberg and Noam Chomsky, against U.S. President Barack Obama and his defense secretary, Leon Panetta.The lawsuit seeks to stop implementation of the horrific new National Defense Authorization Act, also known as the “Homeland Battlefield Bill,” which Obama signed into law in December. As a result, the United States government’s “war on terror” has come home: any Ame

April 5, 2012

The Afghan Endgame Mirage

On a recent visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, I could not fail to notice the increasingly frequent international calls for an “endgame” in Afghanistan. But an endgame for that country is a dangerous illusion: the game will not end, and neither will history. The only thing that could come to an end is the world’s attention and engagement in Afghanistan, which could well lead to catastrophic consequences.Much international focus is now on the year 2014, the target date for completion of the gradu

April 5, 2012

Who’s afraid of Europe’s human-rights court?

At a time when the ongoing European debt crisis is fracturing public faith in the continent’s political and economic institutions, one would expect Europe’s leaders to strengthen as many unifying symbols as they can. Instead, they have allowed one of the jewels of post-World War II European integration -- the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) -- to come under threat as well.Unlike the Brussels-based European Union, long beleaguered by its democratic deficit, the Strasbourg-based ECHR is, if

April 5, 2012

Terrorist hijacks French elections

In France, an Islamic terrorist has likely hijacked the agenda for the remainder of the French presidential race. That terrorist is 23-year-old Mohammed Merah, a Franco-Algerian from Toulouse who was fatally riddled with bullets by French forces last week after a 30-hour standoff and took the television remotes of an entire nation with him.Because of Merah, an election fought on economic grounds has become dominated almost exclusively by national security. The extreme nationalist National Front

April 5, 2012

Herbert Hoover returns with awful economic ideas

In economic circles, no slight stings more than being compared to Herbert Hoover. The 31st U.S. president, who helped make the Depression of the 1930s great, ranks among history’s worst growth killers. Ryutaro Hashimoto, Japan’s prime minister from 1996 to 1998, went to his deathbed in 2006 seething over being tagged as Asia’s Hoover. Among those doing the labeling was former Sony Corp. chairman Norio Ohga. Hashimoto’s crime? The same as Hoover’s ― an ill-timed and ill-advised tax increase that

April 5, 2012