[Joshua Kurlantzick] The Trumping of Cambodian democracy

Over the last year, Cambodia’s ruling party, the Cambodian People’s Party, has dramatically increased its pressure on its political opponents and civil society. Democracy in Cambodia has always been fraught, and elections are not completely free and fair. But the current crackdown is much greater in scope, and far more concerning, in part because it is being enabled by American apathy.Prime Minister Hun Sen, East Asia’s longest-serving nonroyal ruler, has used his power to silence critics and cl

Dec. 5, 2017

[Christopher Balding] Maybe China can’t take over the world

Almost daily, newspapers in the US, Europe and China release eye-catching headlines about China’s technological advances and economic prowess. The accomplishments are real. But they’re not necessarily evidence of Western failure or Chinese invincibility.In touting such achievements, commentators too often overlook the structural factors that have shaped them. Economists now recognize just how much of economic interaction is driven by such forces. For instance, the gravity model in international

Dec. 5, 2017

[Los Angeles Times] Republicans’ big tax win a loss for rest of US

Now that the Senate has joined the House of Representatives in passing versions of a bill to cut taxes -- with the support of virtually all Republicans and no Democrats -- there’s little doubt that the Republican majority will work out a measure they can support in both chambers and send it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law.But the first big win for Republicans in Washington is a loss for the rest of the US. Yes, there may be plenty of Americans who will see their tax bills go down

Dec. 4, 2017

[Los Angeles Times] Rex Tillerson chasing away State Department’s best and brightest

These are difficult times for Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Not only must he contend with a new spate of reports that his fickle, mercurial boss in the Oval Office is thinking of dumping him, he is being accused -- credibly -- by former State Department officials and members of the US Congress of gutting the department and demoralizing the diplomatic corps.On Tuesday, Tillerson denied that there had been a “hollowing out” of the agency and accused critics of throwing around “false” numbers a

Dec. 4, 2017

[Christine M. Flowers] An un-Christian thing to do

Back in 1967, my father had a near miss with the Ku Klux Klan. He was luckier than most of the people who lived in Mississippi during that hot summer, especially people of color. But as an Irish Catholic Yankee from Philadelphia who was down south registering black voters and representing indigent clients in jails right out of “In the Heat of the Night,” he wasn’t exactly the type of fellow that made those upstanding Klan members happy. I’m thinking that the Catholic part was especially annoying

Dec. 4, 2017

[Editorial] Brazen pay raise

It was recently revealed that a budget subcommittee of the National Assembly had decided early last month to raise the annual pay of members of the assembly.The current monthly salary of an Assembly member is 11.49 million won ($10,600), including 6.46 million won in “general allowances.” The committee decided to increase the allowance by 6.2 percent to 6.63 million won. If the salary hike passes the plenary session, annual pay of an Assembly member will rise from 137.96 million won to 140 milli

Dec. 4, 2017

[Adam Minter] China transforms trucking business

Travel to the edge of any Chinese city and eventually you’ll find a parking lot full of idling trucks and suffocating diesel emissions. In bigger cities, such as Shanghai, these lots sprawl for tens of acres and can lead to paralyzing traffic jams when they overflow. Even as China embraces ride sharing and delivery drones, and builds vast networks of airports and high-speed rail, it still depends on long-haul trucks to carry 80 percent of its cargo.　It’s a dirty, low-tech and inefficient industr

Dec. 3, 2017

[Leonid Bershidsky] Before old Nazis vanish, let them bear witness

Oskar Groening, a former Nazi, is going to jail in Germany at age 96. Tony Hovater, 29, a current Nazi sympathizer, has lost his job in the US after being profiled by the New York Times. It’s a shame the two will never meet or even talk via Skype.After the Hovater profile ran, its author, Richard Fausset, admitted the existence of a “hole at the heart” of the story. He couldn’t understand how the former heavy metal drummer’s radicalization occurred. Behind this incomprehension lurked another que

Dec. 3, 2017

[Trudy Rubin] Trump retweets anti-Muslim video, spreads fake news

When President Donald Trump retweeted anti-Muslim videos from a far right British fringe group last week he went way beyond bigotry.The president chose to publicize the message of a neofascist group called Britain First that is so extreme even the British far-right disavows it. As if that weren’t enough, Trump dumped on Prime Minister Theresa May after she rebuked him.By his act Trump confirmed he will go to any lengths to whip up his uber-nationalist base, promoting groups that incite hatred of

Dec. 3, 2017

[Kugler & Schrup] Should the government get to track your phone?

If you’re one of the nearly 225 million Americans who owns a smartphone, you know that it is a window into your entire life -- your friends, your financial information, your pastimes and, most relevant to the Supreme Court this year, your comings and goings. On Wednesday, the court heard oral arguments in one of the most important privacy cases of the decade: United States vs. Carpenter. The justices are being asked to decide whether the 4th Amendment’s guarantee against unreasonable searches pr

Dec. 1, 2017

[Christopher Balding] China’s micro-lending mess

In their bid to reduce risk, China’s financial regulators are cracking down on a promising business: online micro-lending. Although the industry has some serious problems, killing it off would be a big mistake.　Last week, state media announced that broad changes were coming to the sector. Approvals of new lenders have been halted, and existing firms are likely to be severely curtailed.　To an extent, this crackdown reflects valid concerns. Outstanding loans offered on peer-to-peer platforms ballo

Nov. 30, 2017

[Teddy Crimmins] How vinyl fills a generation’s need for human interaction

The record player and the Polaroid camera, both antiquated technology, are making a comeback within my younger generation. These modernly useless machines have been embraced by “hipsters” and have assumed their own spot in a sort of new counterculture.But what makes people willing to pay for such impractical things?I have the most experience with the record player, having asked for one a couple of years ago for my 16th birthday. At first, my parents didn’t understand why I would want this bulky

Nov. 30, 2017