Bo Xilai and the future of China

“All is not well in the People‘s Republic.” So proclaim China-watching Hamlets around the world. They seem to have ample evidence. Six months before the 18th congress of the Chinese Communist Party, when a major transition of leadership is to take place, a political earthquake is riveting the nation.Bo Xilai, one of China’s most prominent leaders, a member of the Politburo and son of one of the founding fathers of modern China, was removed from his position as party secretary of Chongqing. The a

April 4, 2012

The NFP’s (Misunderstood) Move Left

In the year leading up to the general election, the New Frontier Party (Saenuri Party) faced an important decision. Party support was flagging and the issue of the redistribution of wealth solidified as the second most important issue to the nation behind job creation, according to the monthly public opinion polls conducted by the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. Traditionally, the NFP has hung its hat on the economy and security, and while the NFP has always been seen as competent on the econ

April 4, 2012

Dark Continent

Rabbi Shneur Kesselman estimates that he has been the victim of 100 or so anti-Semitic confrontations since he arrived in the southern Swedish city of Malmö in 2004. The latest was just a few days ago, when some young immigrants in a car spotted him on his way home after the evening service at the synagogue. The driver accelerated up onto the sidewalk as if trying to run him over.Kesselman leads the Jewish congregation in Malmo, a town where many Jews are now afraid to wear a yarmulke or a Star

April 4, 2012

The Shadow of Depression

Four times in the past century, a large chunk of the industrial world has fallen into deep and long depressions characterized by persistent high unemployment: the United States in the 1930s, industrialized Western Europe in the 1930s, Western Europe again in the 1980s, and Japan in the 1990s. Two of these downturns – Western Europe in the 1980s and Japan in the 1990s – cast a long and dark shadow on future economic performance. In both cases, if either Europe or Japan returned -- or, indeed, eve

April 4, 2012

U.S. doesn’t need nuclear tests to deter enemies

It’s horrifying even to imagine the U.S. finding itself in a position where it must use an atomic bomb against an enemy. However, in the event such a crisis occurs, we must be certain the weapon will work. Equally important, the main purpose of the U.S. nuclear-weapons program today is to provide a deterrent against potential threats, and that can only be achieved if we are confident in our stockpile and aware of the risks we face around the world. Fortunately, as a report from the National Acad

April 3, 2012

Lady Gaga and teenagers

I am writing with regard to the decision by the Korea Media Rating Board to ban the Lady Gaga concert, scheduled for April 27 at Seoul’s Olympic Stadium, for people under the age of 18 years. While the KMRB is entitled to establish ratings of media in view of considerations related to mental development and the well-being of the citizens of the Republic of Korea, it is not entitled to render verdicts for all Korean people on the basis of the specific worries of certain private groups.It appears,

April 2, 2012

Obama is a loser who wins, like FDR in 1936

The loser wins. That’s the way it can go in presidential elections. Especially when the ballot involves a likable incumbent who happens to be failing when it comes to his task of helping the U.S. economy. In the case of President Barack Obama’s campaign for re- election, the loser the president most resembles is the one he evokes with his radio addresses: the great radio president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt came into office in 1933 on a ticket of recovery. Neither employment nor the s

April 2, 2012

Blues over the delta of the Colorado River

River deltas are among the most biologically productive ecosystems on Earth, and for millions of years the delta of the Colorado River was no exception. After a 1,450-mile journey from its headwaters in the Rocky Mountains south into Mexico, the Colorado sustained verdant marshes teeming with life before emptying into the aquatic Eden of the upper Gulf of California.In 1922, the great naturalist Aldo Leopold canoed through the delta, which he described as “a milk and honey wilderness” and a land

April 2, 2012

The threat of drone attacks ― in the United States

President Obama signed a sweeping aviation bill in February that will open American airspace to “unmanned aircraft systems,” more commonly known as drones. Much of the recent discussion about the coming era of domestic drones, which will include those operated by companies and individuals, has been focused on privacy questions. However, drone proliferation also raises another issue that has received far less attention: the threat that they could be used to carry out terrorist attacks.The technol

April 1, 2012

No affiliation doesn’t mean no religion

“The Rise of the Nones” is one of 10 trends changing American life, according to Time magazine’s March 12 cover story. That’s because the “nones” ― those who mark “none” on surveys that ask them to identify their religious affiliation ― are the fastest-growing religious group in the United States.Not surprisingly, the increase in the unaffiliated comes at the expense of America’s mainstream religions, which means that Christianity is taking the biggest hit. Mainstream Protestant churches have lo

April 1, 2012

High stakes in education: A public policy failure

Korea is sometimes called a one-shot society. More correctly, it is a “high-stakes” society. Korean youth face a colossal tournament consisting of three rounds: advancement to a rigorous high school, a top college and then one of a few renowned corporations. Winners take it all ― enjoying generous compensation and perks including public respect, a five-day workweek, paid holidays, free medical check-ups and maternity leave. The rest of society, notably the “office workers,” must put up with poor

April 1, 2012

Japan needs to tap its hidden strengths ― women

In the year since Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, the nation’s many deficits have been cast in stark relief. The budget deficit is widening as the cost of rebuilding the northeast mounts. The growth shortfall is worrying politicians more than ever and making it hard for Yoshihiko Noda, the sixth prime minister in five years, to keep his job. Deflation is a chronic downer. News that the trade gap disappeared last month was, for now at least, a rare hint that better days may lie ahead.

March 30, 2012

Administrative certainty is Hong Kong’s best bet

The election of Hong Kong’s third chief executive under Chinese sovereignty followed a well-worn pattern. The candidate favored by Beijing won. Earlier, however, there were some twists to the script. Just when the race appeared to be on auto-pilot, there surfaced revelations one would associate with boisterous democratic contests elsewhere. This will boost the expectations of Hong Kongers to directly elect their leader one day. But the overriding concern now is for administrative certainty so th

March 30, 2012

World leaders must stop N.K. missile launch

The second Nuclear Security Summit, which is being held in Seoul, is aimed at preventing nuclear terrorism.Top leaders and Cabinet members from 53 countries are participating in the summit, along with representatives from the United Nations and three other international organizations.The summit is considering what specific measures must be taken to prevent potential nuclear menaces from threatening world security.The leaders taking part in the summit must press North Korea, a country with a nucl

March 30, 2012