The history of U.S.-Pakistani relations is one of wild swings between feigned friendship and ill-disguised mistrust. When the United States needs Pakistan, Washington showers Islamabad with money, weapons and expressions of high esteem. Once the need wanes, the gratuities cease, often with brutal abruptness. Instead of largesse, Pakistan gets lectures, with the instruction seldom well received.The events of 9/11inaugurated the relationship’s most recent period of contrived warmth. Proximity to A

June 25, 2012

Su Tseng-chang, the newly elected chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party, adopted a “scorched earth” strategy to continue to ban American beef and beef products containing the leanness-enhancer ractopamine, though he certainly didn’t seem to know what that strategy actually was. A scorched earth strategy, made world-famous by Joseph Stalin who applied it to stop Nazi Germany’s invasion during World War II, is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that

June 25, 2012

Last month, when popular Japanese comedian Junichi Komoto was discovered to have arranged for his mother to collect welfare payments ― despite the fact that he earned 50 million yen ($633,000) a year ― there was a national outcry.Politicians joined talk-show hosts in criticizing him. There was nothing funny, they argued, about people allowing their relatives to claim welfare at a time when the ranks of the poor were growing and the government was struggling to reduce the national deficit.Japan’s

June 24, 2012

The People’s Republic of China’s unprecedented worldwide economic expansion in the years after its World Trade Organization accession created abundant opportunities for U.S.-China coordination, cooperation or collaboration on matters peripheral to bilateral relations, such as trilateral regional engagement outside the Asia-Pacific.The thrust of U.S. policy over that span has been to encourage China to participate fully, not selectively, in the response to common international challenges and in t

June 24, 2012

The continuing massacres in Syria ― summary executions of women and children, the total destruction of entire towns ― present a horrid picture far more disturbing than we saw in Bosnia during the 1990s, before NATO intervened.With cell-phone cameras, social media, Skype and other new communication devices, we can now see the crimes against humanity soon after they are committed ― something not available in Bosnia, Rwanda or Cambodia before that.As a result, the entire world has turned against Ba

June 22, 2012

Today the United Nations’ Rio+20 summit formally opens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. About 50,000 people in all have converged on Rio for the conference and its side events. Imagine the words that will spew forth from the leaders and representatives of some 190 countries attending the summit, not to mention the reams of documents and position papers that the world’s nongovernment organizations and civil society and political groups will add to the hubbub.But even before today’s opening, perhaps the

June 22, 2012

Greek voters gave Europe a bit of a reprieve by not voting to tear up the nation’s loan agreements. As it is, most have chosen to stay in the euro zone, but that remains a wish without much leverage in renegotiations for less punishing austerity terms. New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras, whose party won the biggest share of the votes, might now find it less difficult to form a coalition government than after the election last month. But even with the socialist Pasok and Democratic Left parties

June 22, 2012

Today, parts of Malaysia are enveloped by the haze, a perennial problem that invites the usual comments.And the problem is compounded by the fact that demand for more water in the current dry spell could lead to shortages in certain areas.While the haze problem may be beyond our control, especially if they cross geographical and international boundaries, a country blessed with so much water resources should not have to deal with water shortage issues, whether now or in the future.But the ongoing

June 22, 2012

The Middle East is ailing. The malady stems from pervasive violence, shortages of food, water and educational opportunities, discrimination against women and ― the most virulent cause of all ― the absence of freedom.There can be no peace without freedom. Economic growth is impossible without integration in the free global economy. Tragically, this simple logic eludes us in the Middle East.The young generation, which makes up most of the region’s population, insists on equal rights, access to edu

June 21, 2012

In an economy that harnesses well over a million work-permit holders, a clear expression of fundamental employment rights is de rigueur. Fair contracts, safe working conditions and decent living arrangements reflect well on a society that is highly dependent on migrant labor. Existing legislation on this is being reviewed and the Manpower Ministry was right to seek public opinion on proposed amendments to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.Different perspectives have to be taken into account

June 21, 2012

I am shocked by the intemperate and unbecoming article ― Opportunists ready for Afghanistan ― by Joel Brinkley, said to be a professor of journalism at Stanford University, that appeared in your paper on Tuesday. The article betrays his appalling ignorance and bias to say the least.India and Afghanistan enjoy civilizational ties. Since 2001, despite being a developing country herself with per capita income of around $1500 per annum, India has provided $2 billion worth of developmental and econom

June 21, 2012