[Raul S. Hernandez] The way forward on South China Sea dispute　

The steady economic growth of the Asia-Pacific has transformed lives and the future of millions of people. The Philippines and the Republic of Korea are part of this evolving story.  Yet this region is witnessing profound shifts in its strategic landscape. There are challenges and disputes, which, if not managed wisely, could bring uncertainties to the economic and security environment. One of the most pressing challenges is keeping a predictable and peaceful maritime order, particularly in the

April 24, 2016

[Gregory Mathieu] Poker's killing the Russian chess star

Among the many weighty questions that Russia’s government has struggled with in recent months -- of war and peace, budget cuts and sanctions -- is this one: Is poker a game of skill or chance?The answer is far from trivial. It will go a long way to determining whether Russia can legalize online poker, and so bring the craze for the game which has swept the nation in recent years within reach of the nation‘s tax collectors. It’s a debate that‘s closely bound up with the fate of Russia’s proud tra

April 24, 2016

[David Ignatius] A manifesto to mend U.S. politics

It has become a truism to say the American political system is suffering from dysfunction. But weirdly, even the insurgent candidates, Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, don‘t talk much about how they would fix it. This is a populist insurgency without a clear manifesto.So it’s refreshing to hear Rep. John Sarbanes present a detailed action plan to repair what‘s broken. This proposal isn’t a cure-all. It wouldn‘t fix the immigration problem or fund Social Security or fight terrorism. But by changi

April 24, 2016

[Leonid Bershidsky] Merkel’s blunder doesn’t justify Brexit

Advocates of the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union have pounced on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ill-advised decision to allow the prosecution of satirist Jan Boehmermann for an obscene poem about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. 　To them, the German leader has illustrated the unacceptable compromises the European Union’s dysfunctional nature forces nations to accept. That may be right to a degree, but Merkel is walking a domestic tightrope, and she’s beginning to wobble.　Earlier t

April 22, 2016

[Eli Lake] Obama deepens Saudi Arabia ties

The U.S.-Saudi relationship appears to be on the rocks. 　Most recently, the rift of 9/11 has been reopened. This month “60 Minutes” reported on the still-classified final chapter of a 2003 Senate report on the attacks, which it said would show that some Saudi officials, charities and wealthy individuals supported two of the 9/11 hijackers.　The Saudi connection is especially relevant now because Congress is considering legislation to allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for dama

April 22, 2016

Effective relief for earthquake evacuees

More than 500 earthquakes have occurred since last Thursday, with focuses in Kumamoto and Oita prefectures. Due to fear of aftershocks, over 90,000 people have vacated their homes and are huddled together in evacuation centers.It is important to provide relief and assistance needed by those affected swiftly and surely.Evacuation centers are packed with a greater number of residents than expected by local municipalities, and we see so many cases where it is impossible to accommodate all of them.

April 21, 2016

[Rafia Zakaria] Colonial diamonds are not forever

Last November, a group of Indians filed a petition in a British court asking for the return of the famous Kohinoor diamond that sits ensconced in a crown in the Tower of London. The gem was part of the British plunder of the subcontinent, they held, and justice demanded that it be returned.As happens with anything the Indians do, the Pakistanis were not to be left behind. Within a month, a Pakistani barrister filed a petition in a British court, asking for the return of the diamond to Pakistan.

April 21, 2016

Cheaper cable TV starts with a better box

Like a lot of Americans, President Barack Obama thinks cable TV costs too much. Unlike a lot of Americans, he is in a position to do something about it — and even if he fails, it’s still worth the effort.Last Friday, Obama took the unusual step of announcing his support for a proposal from the Federal Communications Commission intended to make it easier for customers to purchase their own set-top cable boxes. Whether the idea would actually save consumers money remains to be seen, but it could h

April 21, 2016

[Scott Sherman] Turks see country spiraling into violence

The rumors ricocheting through Istanbul reached us on March 16, when a close Turkish friend urged us to leave the city for the weekend. The next day, my Turkish teacher, as well as the lifeguard at my gym, offered similar warnings. Three days later, at 9:30 a.m., the easygoing young man who delivers hefty plastic jugs of fresh water walked into my kitchen with a week‘s supply. “Will there be trouble in the city today?” I asked him. “Yes,” he instantly replied. “There will be bombs. Stay home.”Tw

April 20, 2016

[John M. Rodgers] Korea must share dust blame

“It’s China’s fault,” I hear every time smog and yellow dust envelop the Korean Peninsula, which happens all too frequently in spring. So I read Matthew Shapiro’s “Dust in the Wind, Solution in the Lab” (Opinion, April 19) with hopes that a new voice would counter this myopic chorus.Unfortunately, Shapiro fails to mention anything about Korea’s own direct contribution to this combined pollution even though numerous reports in 2015 illustrated the fact that Korea contributes to its own harmful ai

April 20, 2016

The U.S. government needs to be more open

“There’s classified, and then there’s classified,” President Barack Obama said in a recent interview. Unfortunately, he’s right: The U.S. government classifies vast amounts of material as secret, top secret and the like, much of it with no relevance to national security.This isn’t just a bureaucratic waste of money and a blow to the democratic ideal of government transparency. Overclassification makes the U.S. less secure, in that it distracts intelligence agencies from protecting actual life-an

April 20, 2016

[David Ignatius] Don’t give up on Arabs in search for peace

As President Obama travels this week to Saudi Arabia, here’s a surprising snapshot of what young Arabs think: They’re scared about the Islamic State and terrorism; they yearn for more freedom and gender equality; they fear that the Arab Spring has made life worse; and they’re increasingly skeptical about the role of traditional religious values. If these Arab reactions seem similar to what people would say in the West, maybe that’s the real takeaway. Despite all the violence and extremism that p

April 20, 2016

Islamic State loses much of its territory　

Across Europe, law enforcement authorities scramble to unravel Islamic State terror networks poised to strike against innocent civilians. Progress is fitful, and fear of another attack is high.But on the Iraqi and Syrian battlefields of Islamic State’s self-proclaimed caliphate, better news:-- A loose coalition of forces, backed to varying degrees by the U.S., have reclaimed a huge chunk of Islamic State real estate. The Pentagon now estimates Islamic State has lost at least 40 percent of its te

April 19, 2016

[Shepherd Iverson] The Kim surrogacy

As part of its annual trade and aid package, Beijing purchases 90 percent of North Korea’s commercial exports and provides the Kim regime with 80 percent of its consumer goods, 90 percent of its energy, over $100 million in U.N. banned luxury goods and enough food to feed over a million people. The $1.2 billion trade deficit with China is considered foreign aid since it is inconceivable it will ever be paid back. However, most money is derived from trade itself.China’s exports to North Korea wer

April 19, 2016