A war crime against culture

The destruction of a mausoleum cannot compare to the rape and murder of innocents. But it is a war crime nonetheless -- and the importance of prosecuting it should not be underestimated, for the present day or for posterity.When the terrorist group Ansar Dine invaded Timbuktu, Mali, in 2012, it not only attacked the local population, but also destroyed a historic mosque and several graves. Now its leader, Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi, is before the International Criminal Court, charged with the destru

March 9, 2016

U.N. pressure on N.K. is mostly symbolic

The United Nations Security Council last week answered North Korea’s latest misdeeds on nuclear and other weapons testing by increasing the severity and sweep of sanctions against it.These include an obligation by Pyongyang’s trading partners to inspect its imports and exports to prevent it from moving goods that contribute to the advancement of its weapons programs. This puts a particular burden on China, the only nation other than South Korea and Russia that borders North Korea.China voted for

March 9, 2016

Root for the robot in Go match of century

This week in Seoul, in what has been dubbed the “ultimate challenge” for artificial intelligence, a man will face off against a computer in the ancient game of Go. If you’re reading this, you may be tempted to cheer for the man. But this is the rare battle of wits in which you should actually root for the robot.AI is the next frontier in applying intelligent machines to the solution of human problems. Go is a revealing test because it has long bedeviled AI programs. Computer algorithms can’t eas

March 9, 2016

[Mac Margolis] Brazil’s politicians are no longer untouchable

For two years now, as Brazilians have watched a widening corruption scandal drag the economy and some of the country’s most storied names in politics and business into disrepute, I’ve kept a running conversation with my disgruntled neighborhood grocer. “Do you really think they’ll get to Lula?” Avelino scoffed the other day at his small market in Rio de Janeiro, referring to the ultrapopular former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whom he blames for the country’s sinking fortunes. “Ha, that’

March 8, 2016

[Doyle McManus] A divided GOP doesn’t have a prayer　

This is how a political party looks when it’s coming unglued.Last week, the Republicans’ two most recent presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and John McCain, denounced this year’s likely nominee, Donald Trump.“Donald Trump is phony, a fraud,” Romney said. “His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University.”McCain piled on, warning that Trump’s views on foreign policy were “dangerous.”Dozens of other Republicans, including a conservative U.S. senator, declared that they would not v

March 8, 2016

[Michael Schuman] Playing around with prices is bad idea　

　Call me old fashioned, but I still think prices matter. I vividly recall the first time I studied those simple supply-and-demand graphs as a college freshman, and today, far too many years later, their basic logic remains undeniable. When prices are right, money flows to the most productive endeavors and economies work efficiently. When prices are wrong, crazy things eventually happen, with potentially dire consequences.　That’s why we should be very worried about Japan, where things are getting

March 7, 2016

[Ryan T. Anderson] Allowing doctors to kill undermines solidarity

Physician-assisted suicide is often portrayed as a compassionate option for clear-thinking adults to end their lives peacefully. But the reality is much darker.　Letting doctors prescribe deadly drugs can actually encourage acts of violence, often resulting from subtle social and psychological coercion. Physician-assisted suicide fundamentally changes the doctor-patient relationship, how medicine is practiced and how society views the poor, elderly or disabled.　This is why it’s so disconcerting t

March 7, 2016

Brazil’s Petrobras probe takes another twist

The detention of Brazil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva marks a new stage in the corruption probe that has all but paralyzed the government for the past two years. Meanwhile, as that drags on, the economy keeps spiraling downward. One way or another, Brazil urgently needs to resolve the scandals and turn its focus back to the economy.　Lula, whom U.S. President Barack Obama once called the world’s most popular politician, now tops the Who’s Who of Brazilian leaders caught up in the i

March 7, 2016

[Michael L. Tan] Finding the fit between work and life

What a relief it was for me to read that the American Psychological Association and the Society for Human Resource Management have started using the term “work-life fit” to replace “work-life balance.”Although “work-life balance” was first used by the British in the 1970s, it was the Americans who popularized the term. The idea that one could balance “work” (career and jobs) and “life” (personal and family health, recreation, spirituality) concerns was attractive. The term became popular, with a

March 6, 2016

[David Horsey] Trump, Hefner and the end of nudity in Playboy

In a world where naked photos of a presidential candidate’s wife are easily found on the Internet, who needs nudes in Playboy?Yes, Donald Trump’s third gorgeous wife, Melania, once posed nude for British GQ magazine and, like everything else that is rule-breaking about Trump, this has not hurt him with his loyal fans. So, it is somewhat ironic that, in a month that could see Trump seal the deal in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, Playboy will be publishing its first issue wi

March 6, 2016

[Christopher Balding] China's rebalancing is overrated

The optimists’ case for China is fairly straightforward. Yes, the world’s second-largest economy is grinding to its slowest pace in decades. But as investment and manufacturing -- traditionally the key drivers of Chinese growth -- decline in importance, domestic consumption and services are playing a bigger role: For the first time, services accounted for just over 50 percent of GDP last year.　This much-desired rebalancing should move China toward a far more sustainable growth model. New economy

March 6, 2016

[Robert W. Peterson] Self-driving cars not a new concept

Are Americans ready for autonomous cars? They have been ready for more than a century. 　The horses that pulled buggies were autonomous, capable of finding their way home with little or no help from their drivers. So, autonomous travel is nothing new. It’s just better.　At the beginning of the 20th century, as the number of vehicles increased, the rate of deaths and injuries caused by vehicular accidents likewise jumped. Although modern technology and safer construction has helped decrease the num

March 4, 2016