[Elizabeth Shackelford] If Putin doesn’t fear Western sanctions, his cronies might

A decade ago, I was a US diplomat serving in Warsaw, Poland. I had a close group of Polish friends who, while not in the field of foreign affairs, had a strong fear of Putin’s Russia. They were concerned his aggression and resentment would lead him one day to launch war again in Europe. I dismissed their concerns as a Cold War hangover. Poland then seemed so prosperous and at peace, and Russia so weak compared with the EU. The 2008 invasion into Georgia seemed a far cry from a threat on W

March 1, 2022

[Jean Guerrero] Are electromagnetic weapons involved? Taking victims of ‘Havana syndrome’ seriously

The US investigation into mysterious symptoms known as the “Havana syndrome” could provide Americans with long-overdue insights into the emerging threats of directed-energy devices. Hundreds of US government personnel -- mostly spies and diplomats abroad -- have reported piercing pain, unexplained sounds, vertigo, vision loss, memory loss, insomnia and signs of brain damage since 2016, when dozens were afflicted in Cuba. Later incidents were reported in China, Russia, Colombia, Aus

Feb. 28, 2022

Japanese gold mine hides seedy, sordid past

“Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, is a collection of historic relics depicting the 400-year history of Sado‘s gold and silver mines. A guided tour, which includes facilities such as ‘the Best Gold Processing Plant in Asia’ and ‘Japan‘s First Western-Style Vertical Tunnel,’ will cause visitors to marvel at the impressive scale.” The introduction of the tourist site, which has been formally recommended by the Japanese gov

Feb. 25, 2022

[Robert J. Fouser] Election 2022: Passion vs fear

As the presidential election gets closer, candidates have picked up the pace of campaigning in the hope of reaching out to a dwindling pool of malleable voters. Polls continue to show a tight race between Lee Jae-myung and Yoon Suk-yeol, with Ahn Cheol-soo and Sim Sang-jung far behind. Since Lee and Yoon received their nominations, polls have been remarkably stable. As of this writing, Yoon has a slight lead, but within the margin of error in most polls. Since democratization in 1987, South Kor

Feb. 25, 2022

[Pankaj Mishra] Don’t play demagogues’ games

Recent weeks have confirmed that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson poses a dire risk to the moral health of UK society. His canard, borrowed from far-right conspiracists, that Labour Party leader Keir Starmer failed in his previous role as prosecutor to put a notorious pedophile behind bars prompted a mob to assault Starmer in the street. London’s Metropolitan Police are now investigating death threats against him. Commentators are aghast that Tory members of Parliament have not replac

Feb. 24, 2022

[Kim Myong-sik] A tale of two migratory bird sanctuaries

When Gimpo, right outside of Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, began a “new town” project in cooperation with the Land and Housing Corp. about 10 years ago, it conceived an eco-friendly community where residents could enjoy the spectacle of migratory birds flying over and resting in the wetland along the Han River estuary. The Gimpo delta is on the migration route of birds from Siberia and Alaska to Japan and Southeast Asia. The Gimpo-Han River Ecological Park was created on a plot of ab

Feb. 24, 2022

Japan’s Sado mine heritage bid spawns conflicts

The Japanese government’s newly launched effort to place a gold mine complex on the UNESCO World Heritage List plunges it into another unseemly historical and diplomatic quagmire. In December, Japan’s Council for Cultural Affairs approved the candidacy of the complex on the island of Sado, 32 km from the Japanese mainland. The Korean Foreign Ministry quickly protested and public concerns mounted over the already stalled relations between Seoul and Tokyo. With the Feb. 1 deadlin

Feb. 23, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] Twelve eerie stories that reflect our society

I recently came across Oh Yoon-hee’s intriguing novel, “The Eerie Story Club at Samgae Tavern & Inn.” The novel is set in the 18th century in the Joseon Kingdom, at a tavern & inn in Samgae Ferry -- modern day Mapo -- where all sorts of vendors come and go with lurid and strange stories to tell. Part One unfolds with various bizarre stories that the protagonist, Seonnomi overheard from vendors who had dropped in for a drink or a one-night stay. Part Two introduces the

Feb. 23, 2022

[Martin Schram] The most fateful error

We begin today’s respite with an easy, one-question pop quiz: QUESTION: At the end of the 20th century’s Cold War, the three nations with the largest nuclear arsenals were: the United States, Russia, and -- (A) Britain, (B) France, (C) China, (D) none of the above? And the correct answer, as you probably know, is: (D). When the Soviet Union collapsed, about one-third of the former Soviet nuclear weapons were still in Ukraine, the suddenly untethered Soviet region just southwest o

Feb. 22, 2022

[Ana Palacio] Has Putin reversed Nixon in China relations?

On Feb. 21, 1972, US President Richard Nixon arrived in China for what would become a transformative weeklong visit. Beyond establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic, Nixon’s trip deepened the estrangement between China and the Soviet Union, thereby laying the foundations for a new world order. But, 50 years later, China and Russia are pursuing their own entente, with far-reaching implications. Even if Russian President Vladimir Putin withdraws some of the troops

Feb. 22, 2022

[Shang-Jin Wei] Understanding China since Nixon

On Feb. 21, 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit the People’s Republic of China, setting in motion a process that would end China’s decadeslong isolation and kick-start the emergence of a modern, dynamic economy. But, despite the seismic economic changes in China in the intervening half-century, many in the West regard today’s People’s Republic as an unreformed communist country whose unfair trade practices are harming Western workers and consumers.

Feb. 21, 2022

[Lee In-hyun] Love and classical music

There is a romantic and lovely event in February. Someone confesses one’s love or goes out on a date with a special someone or even remembers past loves. Do you know which day I am talking about? Valentine’s Day in the past was a day only for lovers, but now it is a day for exchanging chocolates regardless if between lovers, friends or family. Some say it is a day established by the chocolate business to sell their products. Some say it is like any other normal day. However, it is

Feb. 21, 2022

[Lynn Schmidt] Teamwork a winning factor in politics

Jan. 10 marked the 40th anniversary of my favorite football memory. The San Francisco 49ers pulled off an 89-yard drive with an impressive play pass, designed by coach Bill Walsh, in which Dwight Clark literally rose out of the pack in the end zone and made “The Catch.” The 49ers came from behind and won the 1981 NFC championship against the Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers then went on to win 1982 Super Bowl against the Cincinnati Bengals. Clark told reporters following the game that quar

Feb. 18, 2022

[Lee Kyong-hee] A history war or war on truth, Mr. Abe?

Every February, a memorial service is held in Yamaguchi prefecture, Japan for 183 men who died in a 1942 coal mine disaster. Most of them were Koreans, but the Japanese government does not acknowledge they existed. Likewise, wartime Korean laborers forced to toil in gold and silver mines on the island of Sado are overlooked. On Feb. 1, Japan nominated the Sado mines for a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List, exacerbating already fragile Korea-Japan relations and reminding us that their ong

Feb. 17, 2022

[Doyle McManus] Truckers’ blockade could happen in US

The pictures from Ottawa over the last two weeks have defied every American stereotype of Canadians. We think of our northern neighbors as incorrigibly polite, their politics as moderate and their capital city -- when we consider it at all -- as boring, the Sacramento of the north. Suddenly, however, Ottawa has become the center of a global populist backlash against vaccine mandates and, more broadly, elitist liberal governments. About 500 truckers angry about new border-crossing rules between

Feb. 16, 2022

[Kim Seong-kon] “All of Us Are Dead Now at Our School”

In the early 1980s when I began teaching at Seoul National University, I had my students watch George Romero’s legendary film, “Night of the Living Dead” in one of my graduate classes. At that time, very few Koreans even knew what a zombie was. Accordingly, my students at SNU were shocked and appalled at the bone-chilling horror of the first modern zombie film released in 1968. After we watched the movie, I then taught my students how to read the film. For example, I compared

Feb. 16, 2022

[Elizabeth Shackelford] Coups are happening where democracy is failing

The latest blow to democracy is the explosion of coups around the world. Weak democratic governments that are failing to deliver are being overthrown. This global phenomenon has been most evident in West Africa. In the past 18 months, coups have occurred in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Chad. Mali has had two in that period, and Niger and Guinea-Bissau have narrowly escaped coup attempts. More coups occurred in 2021 alone than in the prior five years combined. Africa has been no stranger to coups si

Feb. 15, 2022

[Kevin Roberts] It’s time to win war against Big Tech

Big Tech is an enemy of the American people. The largest corporations of our information economy wield unparalleled power over Americans’ lives. They enjoy almost unfettered access to our personal information. And they exercise more immediate control over our speech and livelihoods than even the government itself. They’ve had years to prove themselves responsible stewards of this power, by using it transparently and equitably, in the public interest and for the common good. They&rs

Feb. 14, 2022

[Robert J. Fouser] Dealing with labor market turmoil

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sweeping changes to the labor market that will continue to reverberate. During the shock phase in early 2020, millions lost their jobs and unemployment soared. In developing countries, poverty rates jumped, reversing years of progress. Developed countries recovered many lost jobs by the end of 2020, and some now face labor shortages. The churning has changed how people think about work and their expectations of it. As with the public health side of the pandemic

Feb. 11, 2022

[Andrei Kolesnikov] Not all Russians buy Putin’s warmongering

In May 1993, Estonia’s first post-Soviet leader Lennart Meri -- a wise man with bitter experience of life in the Soviet Union -- told the visiting US deputy secretary of state that Estonia urgently needed to join NATO. It was, he said, the only guarantee that Russia wouldn’t invade the Baltic state once a less Western-friendly and authoritarian Russian leader replaced then-President Boris Yeltsin. Meanwhile, Yeltsin openly warned the US that NATO’s expansion to the east would

Feb. 10, 2022