[Aristides N. Hatzis] From Athens to Seoul

This was my first visit to South Korea and the instant reaction was pure astonishment. From Seoul, the imposing and enchanting metropolis, to Jeju Island, the magnificent tropical paradise, everything seemed so different from Western Europe and North America. The differences with my country, Greece,

Aug. 23, 2011

[Michal Levertov] Can protests bring Jews, Arabs together in Israel?

HURFEISH, Israel ― The Druze village of Hurfeish seems as pastoral as the rural north of Israel can be. Sitting on the northwestern slope of the Meron Mountains amid a national park, the centuries-old settlement of about 6,000 residents looks like an image taken from a tourist postcard: green, beaut

Aug. 22, 2011

[Laurence Kotlikoff] U.S. government merits a junk credit rating

Politicians and investors say Standard & Poor’s made a mistake when it cut the U.S.’s credit rating from “AAA” to “AA+.” I agree. I wonder why S&P didn’t take it all the way down to “CCC.” The country’s political leaders, from President Barack Obama on down, are alternately decrying S&P’s hubris and

Aug. 22, 2011

[Stephen L. Carter] Baseball, Tim Pawlenty and celebrity politics

You might have missed the news that several courthouse guards are being investigated for accepting autographed baseballs from Roger Clemens, one of the greatest pitchers of the modern era, after his mistrial on charges of lying under oath about steroid use. This might seem like a minor offense, but

Aug. 22, 2011

[Editorial] Health care case a good moment for judicial restraint

For about the first third of the 20th century, the U.S. Supreme Court was under the sway of a doctrine called “substantive due process.” The court routinely invoked this (and the related concept of “freedom of contract”) to overturn laws attempting to regulate business on matters such as working con

Aug. 21, 2011

[Stephen Baker] That is Mr. Exxon Mobil to you

“Corporations are people, my friend.” Mitt Romney, Aug. 11, campaigning in IowaI’ve been thinking about people I know. Apple comes to mind. It’s terrific at electronics and has a great eye for design. It’s far richer than everyone in my neighborhood. Another person I’ve known for years is General Mo

Aug. 21, 2011

[Ghassan Michel Rubeiz] Syrian people are entitled to shape their destiny

The Assad dynasty in Syria has miscalculated by applying overwhelming force to try to stop the five-month uprising there.After four decades of abuse of power in Syria, the rulers in Damascus are vulnerable, morally and politically. It is hard to imagine how the Assad family can continue much longer

Aug. 21, 2011

[Ezra Klein] Is Texan Rick Perry too European to be next president of U.S.?

You wouldn’t think that the governor of Texas, the most conservative of the viable candidates in the Republican presidential field, would want to make the U.S. more like Europe. Unless, of course, you have read Rick Perry’s book. “Fed Up,” Perry’s 2010 cri de coeur (yes, that’s French), can be summe

Aug. 21, 2011

[By William Pesek] S&P’s next target has Bob Marley on its mind

On a hot Friday evening in Osaka, Japan, street musician Jun Fukuda is channeling Bob Marley on a downtown bridge. Not the feel-good, party-hearty Marley, but the mortality-questioning ballad “Redemption Song.” As the 20-year-old belts out the lyrics “emancipate yourself from mental slavery” he scan

Aug. 19, 2011

[Editorial] History shows danger of politics left adrift

How strongly do you feel Japan’s peace and affluence have been achieved at the expense of the many lives lost in the series of wars this nation fought during the Showa era?This question was asked in an opinion survey conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun by mail in January and February. An overwhelming 8

Aug. 19, 2011

[Amando Doronila] Sovereignty issues with China a test for President Aquino

China has launched its first aircraft carrier, signaling its growing naval power that’s likely to increase tensions between Beijing and smaller Asian maritime states, including the Philippines, over territorial claims on islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).The 67,000-ton, 302-meter

Aug. 19, 2011

[Michael O’Hanlon] The United States still has a promising future

Amid all the talk of gloom and doom in the United States, with the stock market’s near-crash and the renewed threat of a double-dip recession, it is worth pausing to remember that the United States remains the greatest country on Earth. It is also the country with the most promising future. I make t

Aug. 18, 2011