The Korea Herald

[Noah Smith] Growing a nation won’t always grow its economy

On June 23, the U.K. will vote on whether to withdraw from the European Union. This is a momentous decision, with far-reaching economic and political consequences that are now being hotly debated. If Britons vote to exit, it could lead to a breakup of the EU, and set back the global move toward greater political integration.　This raises an intriguing question: What’s the optimal size for economic performance? Are we better off with many little competing city-states, a bunch of midsized nations o

April 10, 2016

[Therese Raphael] Cameron is clean, but no one cares

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron didn’t lie. He’s not accused of being a tax cheat. Unlike his Icelandic counterpart, he didn't have financial holdings that presented an obvious conflict of interest. Even so, he’s in trouble.　Cameron is under attack for revelations that he benefited, albeit legally, from shares in a fund his stockbroker father had set up in Panama. Cameron is unlikely to lose his job, as Iceland‘s Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson did, but his reputation is taking a hammering. That’

April 10, 2016

[Christopher Balding] How bad is China’s debt problem, really?

For months now, China’s regulators have been warning about the dangers of rapidly expanding credit and the need to deleverage. With new plans to clean up bad loans at the country’s banks, you might conclude that the government is getting serious about the risks it faces.But there’s reason to doubt the effectiveness of China’s approach. In fact, it’s running a serious risk of making its debt problems worse.After the financial crisis, China embarked on a credit binge of historical proportions. In

April 8, 2016

[David Ignatius] A testing year for American tolerance

Donald Trump tests the limits of campaign speech. He makes false statements and refuses to correct them. He attacks other religions and ethnic groups, inflaming domestic tension and foreign terrorist rage. He pledges to overhaul long-standing U.S. commitments in ways that frighten allies. He cavalierly predicts a “massive recession,” undermining confidence in the U.S. economy. When criticized, Trump adopts the stance of one of his beloved WWE professional wrestlers caught in the act: He throws u

April 8, 2016

[David Ignatius] A testing year for American tolerance

[Nirmal Ghosh] Thai military‘s grand design in politics

The shadow of the army in Myanmar is a long one, but, over the past five years, it has shrunk. Next door in Thailand, though, the shadow of the Royal Thai Army is lengthening.　Public attention is veering to a referendum on a new proposed constitution, tentatively set for Aug. 7. 　It would be Thailand’s 20th constitution in 84 years since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932, during which time the country has also seen 12 successful and seven attempted coups by the armed forces.　The referen

April 7, 2016

Allegations against Pakistan P.M.’s family

As the Panama Papers ricochet around the world, triggering political crises in countries far and wide and engulfing politicians in scandal, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan Muslim League have been unable to suppress the outcry in Pakistan.　 In this age of leaks in the era of digital journalism and social media, mere denials appear to no longer be an option -- the torrent of accusations overwhelms whatever weak denials and exculpatory evidence is offered.　Ostensibly bowing to this pos

April 7, 2016

[Gulardi Nurbintoro] China and the Law of the Sea treaty

A Chinese proverb says “when reading, do not let a single word escape your attention, one word may be worth a thousand pieces of gold.” In the recent incident involving China’s coast guard in Indonesian waters, it seems that not only a single word, but instead numerous words of the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea have escaped the attention of the Chinese.A Chinese fishing vessel, the Kway Fey 10078, suspected of fishing illegally in Indonesia’s Exclusive Economic Zone, was boarded by

April 7, 2016

[Gulardi Nurbintoro] China and the Law of the Sea treaty

[Cass R. Sunstein] Ending Obama’s climate rules won’t be easy

Predicting the experience of his successor Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, President Harry Truman said this: “He’ll sit here, and he’ll say, ‘Do this! Do that!’ And nothing will happen. Poor Ike — it won’t be a bit like the Army. He’ll find it very frustrating.”Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have promised to get rid of a whole host of executive actions from the Barack Obama administration. (If the Republican convention produces a different nominee, expect similar promises.) But there’s good reason to doubt h

April 7, 2016

[David Ignatius] Moniz leads clean energy revolution

So much of America’s future is at stake in the 2016 presidential election. But let’s focus for a moment on just one area -- energy and the environment -- where the Obama administration has made startling progress that could be reversed if either of the GOP front-runners becomes president. Energy Secretary Ernie Moniz, arguably President Obama’s best Cabinet appointment, has been leading a quiet revolution in clean-energy technology. Innovation is transforming this industry, costs are plummeting

April 7, 2016

[David Ignatius] Moniz leads clean energy revolution

[Shin Yong-bae] Election and the economy　

Spring, when everything comes alive again, has arrived. Soft winds are blowing, warm weather has returned with increased sunlight, cherry blossoms are in full bloom and other flowers have started appearing. However, the season has not brought much cheer, as it is accompanied by wholly gloomy and disappointing news. North Korea is ratcheting up military tension on the Korean Peninsula with nuclear threats, and more and more cases of child abuse – including by parents -- are being uncovered. On ec

April 6, 2016

[Shin Yong-bae] Election and the economy

[Leonid Bershidsky] The Soviet Union is falling apart again

Armenia and Azerbaijan have announced a truce after three days of fierce fighting in the secessionist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but the flare-up is proof that the post-Soviet frozen conflicts are not really frozen. At any moment, they can be ignited by the realignment of international alliances and loyalties, and people will start dying again.There are four post-Soviet frozen conflicts. Three smolder around the Black Sea: Transnistria, a separatist region of Moldova; the Georgian regions of Ab

April 6, 2016

[Dr. Shamshad Akhtar] Time for Asia-Pacific to lead on sustainable growth　

Asia-Pacific is recognized for its leadership in global output, trade and development. The region has a new opportunity to lead on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development -- a multidimensional, multisector and multiagency undertaking.In 2016, the first year of implementation for the agenda’s sustainable development goals, our region faces significant challenges: prioritizing implementation of the goals; pace and sequencing; meeting the massive data and statistics requirements; as well mobili

April 6, 2016

[Aryeh Neier] Closing the file of genocidal ex-Bosnian Serb leader　

The conviction by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader, for crimes against humanity and genocide filled many, including me, with a sense of deep satisfaction. The verdict has not only brought some semblance of closure to the most brutal European conflict since World War II; it has also demonstrated the international community’s commitment to ensuring justice and accountability in such matters. Not even the not-guilty ve

April 6, 2016

‘Panama Papers’ disclose a colossal financial scandal

We all knew the rich and powerful play by different rules than the rest of us. Some are willing to bend or break the law to enrich themselves, and some bankers and lawyers are more than happy to help them.Yet, the level of venality revealed by what are being called the Panama Papers is mind-boggling -- and infuriating. It’s the globalization of corruption, and even more contemptible are political leaders who loot the public treasuries of their poor nations.We can only hope that the worldwide att

April 6, 2016

[Song Jong-hwan] North Korea must keep its promises

A famous Latin saying “Pacta sunt servanda,” meaning “agreements must be kept,” forms the basis of international law and international relations. Therefore, states that sign and ratify international agreements should be bound by them. While concealing its nuclear program for decades, North Korea has signed agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (1985), South Korea (1992) and the U.S. (1994) not to pursue nuclear weapons. It also signed a joint statement to abandon nuclear weapons

April 5, 2016

[Song Jong-hwan] North Korea must keep its promises

[Kim Seong-kon] Living in an age of hybrid, middlebrow cultures 　

For some dubious reason, Koreans tend to think of themselves as ethnically homogenous people. Naturally, they take pride in sharing a pure bloodline. That is why in Korea, people translate mixed-blood as “twigi” and hybrid as “japjong,” both of which are derogatory remarks in the Korean language. At school, kids frequently pick on mixed-blood classmates and tease them or make fun of them cruelly. At work, mixed-blood persons, who are likely to be excluded and alienated, easily become social pari

April 5, 2016

[Kim Seong-kon] Living in an age of hybrid, middlebrow cultures

[Lee Jae-min] New dilemma on digital privacy

We all know how devastating it is to lose a cellphone or tablet PC, as our daily life is entirely disrupted. With so much personal information digitized and stored in one single device, the handheld gadget means the entire world for the owner. So, from the perspective of users, nothing would be more sensitive to their privacy than the information contained in this device. On the contrary, for the law enforcement agencies a cell phone is an information bonanza. Make-or-break materials are stored

April 5, 2016

[Lee Jae-min] New dilemma on digital privacy

[Noah Feldman] Dog bites woman, a federal case

Dog bites man may not be a news story -- but in nine western states, it’s grounds for a constitutional case. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has allowed a lawsuit by a woman who fell asleep in her office after a hard night’s drinking, accidentally tripped a burglar alarm, and was bitten in the lip by a San Diego police dog responding to the alarm.What makes the case so interesting is that the San Diego Police Department trained Bak, a service dog, to enter a room and bite the first

April 5, 2016

[Dambisa Moyo] Will Britain choose irrelevance?

When voters in the United Kingdom go to the polls on June 23 to decide whether their country should leave the European Union, the issues they will have to reckon with will include the impact of their decision on unemployment, trade flows, and the stability of financial markets. But there are other less quantifiable considerations that must also be weighed in the balance.The economic arguments against a British exit from the EU -- or Brexit -- have been well rehearsed. Many have suggested that if

April 5, 2016

[Nicholas Carr] Let’s tap brakes on the Internet of everything

Americans live their lives on their phones now. So wrote 15 prominent technology companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon and Snapchat, in a legal brief supporting Apple in its now-moot fight with the Justice Department over unlocking the San Bernardino killer’s iPhone. Our phones have become “an extension of our memories,” the companies argued, and “to access someone’s cellphone is to access their innermost thoughts and their most private affairs.”Although the companies are right, their ea

April 4, 2016