In planning to withdraw two of the U.S.’s four combat brigades from Europe, the Barack Obama administration is drawing on an unlikely inspiration: Donald Rumsfeld, when he was secretary of defense under President George W. Bush, wanted to do the same thing (the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan made the idea moot). Not that this will make Obama immune to partisan criticism: Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, likened the administration’s proposed de

Jan. 24, 2012

Bullying is nothing new, and neither is the recent surge in school violence a new global phenomenon. Ours is an educational system that generates a vicious circle of ruthless competition and for those left behind, well, there’s either one of two choices: succumb to failure or lash out at the powers that be. In the case of the former, who often become victims of bullying, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by a perceived sense of helplessness and worthlessness. These poor souls feel as if they have n

Jan. 24, 2012

In 1912, the RMS Titanic, the largest and most advanced passenger liner of its day, sank in the Atlantic Ocean, reminding the world there was no such thing as an invincible ship. The Costa Concordia, a cruise ship so enormous that it is essentially a floating town, lies half submerged off the coast of Italy, making the same point today. The Titanic tragedy, which claimed some 1,500 lives, ushered in a new era in maritime safety law. A century later, the Costa Concordia debacle, in which 11 peopl

Jan. 24, 2012

Blustering and fuming, Iran seems to be spoiling for war.The United States and Iran have treated each other with outright hostility for more than three decades now, ever since the mullahs captured the Iranian revolution in 1979 and then sent students to seize the American embassy. But never before has the relationship teetered so close to military conflict.Even with the atmosphere freighted with bellicosity, the threats and hostile acts keep coming. On Sunday Iran issued a stark warning, saying

Jan. 24, 2012

Mitt Romney, the favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination, has brought the rights and wrongs of private equity to the front of U.S. politics. He once ran a private-equity firm, and he has been attacked for it even by fellow conservatives. This is a new version of an old complaint, and the quality of the discussion is not improving with age. The question to ask about private equity ― which involves taking over companies, restructuring them and selling them at a profit ― is not wheth

Jan. 20, 2012

The environment surrounding the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has become harsher. The decline of the Cabinet’s approval rating, discord within the ruling Democratic Party of Japan and stalled discussions between the ruling and opposition parties are just a few of the problems it faces.Noda no longer has the leisure to continue the attitude described as “safe driving.” He needs to go on the offensive toward realizing integrated reform of the social security and tax systems, whic

Jan. 20, 2012

Last week the Washington Post reported on a survey conducted last month by the University of Hong Kong which found that many more people living in the Chinese territory identify themselves as “Hong Kongers” rather than Chinese. The number of people who identifiy with their city was actually more than double the number of those who see themselves as Chinese.Chinese officials were not pleased by the results of the survey and other indicators showing that Hong Kong’s population is not moving toward

Jan. 20, 2012

Among the many tantalizing questions surrounding Myanmar’s flirtation with democracy is this: Might Kim Jong-un be enticed to try something similar in North Korea? Taking stock of events in the Myanmar capital, Naypyidaw, the brand new leader of the world’s worst government might be having second thoughts about the viability of the Kim Dynasty. At least 2 million people starved during the 17-year reign of his father, Kim Jong-il, and North Korea’s economy is a disaster area. Enter Myanmar, the r

Jan. 19, 2012

Over the past two decades, as Japan has gradually slipped down the OECD ladder in terms of GDP per capita, Korea has progressively climbed the same ladder. It’s just a matter of time before Korea overtakes its neighbor.How could this happen?One important factor has been how the two countries have responded to crises. Japan was struck down by the collapse of its bubble economy two decades ago, and was also badly hit by the global financial crisis in 2008. Despite many calls for structural reforms

Jan. 19, 2012

When he died recently at age 80, Cheetah the chimp received respectful obituaries across the globe. This seemed only fitting for a star in the 1930s Tarzan films with Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O’Sullivan. Cheetah was the world’s most famous non-human primate. (His only serious rival, King Kong, was a fictional character.) No less an authority than Turner Classic Movies host and prominent film historian Robert Osborne weighed in on Cheetah’s cinema legacy: “He was a major star. He was one of

Jan. 19, 2012

Please excuse me if you’ve already read about this ― I’m always the last guy to know ― but apparently some people are unhappy with the calendar. In other calendar news, the world apparently is going to end next Dec. 21, according to the Mayan calendar.About this latter point, apparently many people in pseudo-scientific circles have been worrying about it for decades. Me, I only began to worry about it after seeing a John Cusack movie on cable.The deal is that the Mayan “Long Count” calendar, whi

Jan. 19, 2012

Even Martin Luther King Jr., the man the U.S. honors today (Jan. 16), had his blind spots. The circle of human rights he gave his life to expand didn’t include everyone. Left out, for instance, were gay men and lesbians. One of King’s most laudable attributes, however, was his ability to evolve and grow, and so we imagine that were he alive today he would endorse the efforts of the Obama administration to help bring basic freedoms and protections to gay people the world over. According to a rece

Jan. 18, 2012