Ambush is the coward’s tool: Only in bloodlust fiction and declared war does surprise assassination run the chance of improving a situation. But on Thursday night in Dallas, ambush was the way to start a skirmish or settle a score.Before America’s computer and television screens came alive with news of the slaughter, the evening had been peaceful. Dallas police officers had tweeted photos of themselves alongside demonstrators marching to protest the police shooting deaths of two black men in Lou

July 11, 2016

Dallas Police Chief David Brown said something on Friday that needed saying. After updating the public on a sniper attack that targeted white police officers -- killing five officers and injuring at least six -- Brown spoke about the heroism of police who ran toward gunfire “with no chance to protect themselves, to put themselves in harm’s way, to make sure citizens can get to a place of security.”　Police officers all over the country take such selfless risks every day. They are not especially w

July 11, 2016

Last year, roughly 1 of every 6 fish sold around the world was caught illegally. That number is now poised to drop precipitously, thanks to the Port State Measures Agreement, the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.Under this new agreement, parties are obliged to ensure that any fishing vessel that comes to its port, even for refueling, must announce that it is doing so and submit to an inspection of their log book, licen

July 10, 2016

What role should referenda play in a democracy? That question has become more relevant than ever, following the United Kingdom’s “Brexit” referendum, which resulted in a 52 percent to 48 percent vote to leave the European Union -- and brought an abrupt end to British Prime Minister David Cameron’s political career.Brexit opponents have since suggested that, because referenda have no constitutional status in Britain, and Parliament must make the final decision, the result should be ignored. Are t

July 10, 2016

Since its unfortunate Brexit vote to leave the European Union, Britain has experienced a tragi-comic round of backstabbing, foot-dragging and second-guessing. Europe, meanwhile has mostly behaved with admirable good sense. The Europeans seem to understand that the Brexit vote is a wake-up call about dissatisfaction with the EU that’s nearly as widespread on the continent as it is in Britain. Germany, in particular, recognizes that unless the EU can quickly show a readiness to reform and streamli

July 10, 2016

For almost seven decades, NATO has amply demonstrated its ability to fulfill its core mission of deterring a conventional attack against its member countries. But the threat landscape on NATO’s southern flank is changing, pushing the alliance toward uncharted waters. This week’s NATO summit in Warsaw will amount to a litmus test of the Alliance’s ability to adapt to the new more complex security challenges that it faces.　Since the Cold War, when it was positioned as a bulwark against Soviet expa

July 8, 2016

The nearly simultaneous and highly coordinated series of bombings in divergent points in the world indicate an alarming expansion in the Islamic State group’s capability to inflict bloodbath and mayhem far outside the Middle East.In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015, the French tricolor bloomed on Facebook as millions of people worldwide expressed sympathy for the 129 people who died, and for a universally beloved city scarred by violence. Five months later, similar a

July 7, 2016

Media providers across the world are struggling with challenges posed by the mobile platform and everybody is looking for the best solution.Most of us in the news industry know that not only is readership in print media declining, but Internet news is also in a crisis as people nowadays, especially the young generation, rely on smartphones or the so-called “second screen” for updates.These mobile-centric consumers of news were the highlight of a News Lab Summit held by Google in Tokyo late last

July 7, 2016

The tectonic plates of American politics are no longer moving along the old fault lines of “left vs. right” or even Democrat vs. Republican.As we’ve seen this bizarre political year, the biggest force welling up is rage against insider elites in both parties and against the American establishment as a whole -- including the denizens of Wall Street, large corporations and the mainstream media.Now, with Bernie Sanders essentially out of the race, Donald Trump wants Americans to believe he’s the re

July 7, 2016

The outcome of the United Kingdom’s Brexit referendum shocked populations across Europe. But watching the response in Lviv, in western Ukraine — a hub of enthusiasm about the European Union — was particularly jarring.At a time when irresponsible opportunists and populists in the U.K. are taking a wrecking ball to their country’s own institutions, and those of Europe, Ukrainian reformers are trying to build something new. Whereas the U.K.’s “Leave” campaign peddled trumped-up dangers from immigra

July 6, 2016

Shortly before the Brexit vote, Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine ran a cover story that urged the Brits: “Please don’t go.” For Germans, long the most loyal supporters of the European Union, it was unthinkable that the British would leave them.　After the Brexit shock, Der Spiegel has a new plea: “If we don’t become more passionate about the European Union, we will lose it,” writes columnist Stefan Kuzmany.　There is widespread agreement that the future of a united Europe will be decided more by emo

July 6, 2016

The week of July 4 is a good moment to salute an unlikely champion of saving energy and switching to alternative fuels -- the U.S. Navy. Once a supreme fuel-guzzler whose energy needs sometimes dictated foreign policy, the Navy has become a model for how the country can curb its appetite for fossil fuels. The Navy’s energy diet began seven years ago with an edict from newly appointed Secretary Ray Mabus, who issued five goals for radically changing how the Navy bought and consumed fuel. A former

July 6, 2016