[Jan-Werner Mueller] Democrats must finally play hardball

Around the world, right-wing populists are hollowing out democracy and the rule of law. But unlike many 20th century dictators, today’s aspiring authoritarians have tried to preserve the facade of the institutions they are destroying, which creates a dilemma for opposition parties. Should they play by the rules of a game that is rigged against them, or should they start writing their own rules and risk accusations of being liberal democracy’s real gravediggers? The conventional wisd

Sept. 28, 2020

[Digital Simplicity] IU, 8K display and next-generation gaming

Last Saturday, singer IU’s newest live performance video was revealed on YouTube. It was a landmark event since the video was formatted in 8K resolution, which easily outperforms 4K display. A small number of those who purchased the prohibitively expensive and visually expansive 88-inch OLED TV from LG Electronics were lucky enough to get a glimpse of what the 8K technology could offer, thanks to the stunning image featuring IU’s equally exquisite live performance. Just in case y

Sept. 26, 2020

[Robert J. Fouser] South Korea as a Middle Power

On Monday this week, President Moon Jae-in addressed world leaders by satellite in a special event to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. In his address, Moon focused on the multilateral efforts among the MIKTA countries -- Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, Turkey and Australia -- to address the COVID-19 pandemic and other pressing global issues. He stressed that nations and international organizations should work together to ensure that developing countries have access to COVID-19 v

Sept. 25, 2020

[Kim Myong-sik] Ruling group’s audacity invites the people’s dissent

The nation is faced with a triple crisis. The No. 1 problem, of course, is the COVID-19 pandemic, which over the past nine months has seriously transformed South Koreans’ lifestyles. Next is economic gloom, partly from the impact of the coronavirus and partly attributable to the sloppy leftist policies of the Moon Jae-in administration. And the third and worst is the credibility crisis due to the contrasting words and deeds of politicians. I call it a crisis because it has escalated to a

Sept. 24, 2020

[Ramesh Ponnuru] It’s dumb to bash the WTO

When the World Trade Organization was created in the mid-1990s, the US Senate voted 76-24 to establish it. But it is now facing more opposition than ever, and from both parties. “The World Trade Organization has been not good for the United States,” President Donald Trump said in a mid-September press conference. “It’s been good for everybody else, but it’s not been good. It was a method, in my opinion, of taking advantage of the United States.” Bob Woodward

Sept. 24, 2020

[Kim Seong-kon] 10 propositions for today’s populist leaders

Today, quite a few countries suffer from populist leaders who are tearing their nations apart by dividing people with factional brawls and crippling the economy by spending money unscrupulously to flatter the people. These populist leaders gravely degrade the integrity of their respective nations with indecent words and behavior. Consequently, some populist leaders have made their countries bankrupt already, whether spiritually or financially, and others have seriously damaged the image of their

Sept. 23, 2020

[Daoud Kuttab] The Arab betrayal of the Palestinian people

It is normal for countries with deep disagreements nonetheless to maintain diplomatic, trade and commercial relations. Yet there are also circumstances when such relations are regarded as nonstarters. That is certainly the case for most countries vis-a-vis North Korea, but it also describes America’s previous stance on Cuba, and now Venezuela, as well as Israel’s policy on Iran, Saudi Arabia’s on Qatar, and much of the Arab world’s on Israel. Given the importance of dial

Sept. 22, 2020

[Cass R. Sunstein] Ginsburg cleared path to include the excluded

It was 1985, I think. The Federalist Society was hosting a conference in Washington on equality. I was a young professor, the token liberal on a panel, and its least distinguished member. The experience was brutal. Professor Paul Bator, a famous scholar who had been my teacher not long before, was on the panel, and at one point he whispered in my ear. “Just stop talking,” he said. “No one in the room wants to hear you.” Humiliated, I retreated to my hotel room. At about

Sept. 22, 2020

[Ferdinando Giugliano] Do not force people back into office

The end of the summer holidays and the reopening of schools have sparked a lively debate over the future of remote working. From the US to the UK, politicians and employers are nudging workers to return to the office even though the pandemic is not over. But these requests put employees in a very awkward place -- caught between fearing for their health and fearing for their job. Following two key principles may resolve some of the tension. First, the government should have no say in this decisi

Sept. 21, 2020

[Chris Bryant] No revenue is no problem in 2020 stock market

Wall Street isn’t always too fussed about whether a startup is profitable before listing on the stock exchange. A decent track record of sales growth is usually pretty essential, though. That quaint idea has been turned on its head this year by the fad for special purpose acquisition companies. Called SPACs for short, they raise cash from investors in an initial public offering and then go find a company to buy. By merging with one of these cash boxes, the target gets a dollop of capital

Sept. 21, 2020

[Tomas Anker Christensen] Korea can become Asia’s green energy export hub

Korea was the first country I visited in my new capacity as Climate Ambassador last February. Denmark regards Korea as an important partner in green growth. The Korean Green New Deal cements my belief that we are heading in the same direction. It is a visionary moon-shot that can have implications for the lives of millions of people and generations to come in Korea. While Korea initiated a 73.4 trillion-won Green New Deal, this June we adopted the Danish Climate Law setting our ambitious target

Sept. 21, 2020

[Serendipity] Old habits die hard

I am a lists person. I am constantly making lists: the to-do list, the shopping list, the weekly menu list, the book list and the potential interviewee list, not to mention the list that tops them all -- the bucket list. I carry around a small Moleskin notebook containing these lists, each one marked with a colorful Post-it flag. Of course, I don’t get around to doing nearly half the things on the lists. It is a well-lived day when a third of the items on my daily to-do list are co

Sept. 18, 2020

[Lee Kyong-hee] Risk literacy matters in coronavirus war

A virus doesn’t even have its own cells to replicate. It needs a host cell to multiply. A virus is a submicroscopic microbe. That means it is too small to be seen even with a microscope. However, this invisible pseudo life-form can wreak monstrous-sized havoc in populations. Some leaders even speak as if it can see and hear. US Sen. Kamala Harris’ remarks at the virtual Democratic National Convention last month are telling. The first woman of color to vie for Washington’s sec

Sept. 17, 2020

[Noah Smith] Trump’s trade war failed. Can Biden do better?

With the US presidential campaign heading into the home stretch, President Donald Trump will surely try to tout his record on economic issues. But the numbers don’t speak well of his policies. Unfortunately, the approach of his rival, Joe Biden, threatens to make some of the same mistakes. Trump was elected in 2016 on a promise to restore American competitiveness, revitalize the flagging manufacturing sector, and reduce gaping trade deficits. But even before the pandemic, his trade war lo

Sept. 17, 2020

[Kim Seong-kon] How democracy deteriorates in the pandemic era

The famous motto of the US state of New Hampshire is “Live Free or Die.” The phrase is adopted from a toast by New Hampshire’s famed Gen. John Stark of the American Revolutionary War, who wrote in 1809, “Live free or die: Death is not the worst of evils.” That means that losing freedom is worse than death. It also resonates with what Patrick Henry said in 1775, “Give me liberty or give me death!” Those phrases especially appeal to the American mind becau

Sept. 16, 2020

[Daniel Moss] Japan’s policy revolution could start at the margins

Japan’s likely next prime minister is a huge fan of Shinzo Abe. That doesn’t mean Yoshihide Suga is a carbon copy. Indeed, the shades of difference between the two men on some key issues are important, particularly when the economy in question is the world’s third-largest, a critical part of global manufacturing and trade, and a pioneer of ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easing. The first issue to consider is Japan’s consumption tax. Increases have been blamed

Sept. 16, 2020

[Ivo Daalder] While the West dithers, Russia stays busy

August was busy for Russia this year. While dealing with growing popular protests in the east, Moscow has sought to distract attention by engaging in nefarious activities, both at home and abroad. It’s prepared to intervene in neighboring Belarus, confronted US military forces on land, at sea and in the air, stepped up its interference in the US presidential elections and poisoned yet another opposition figure. None of these activities have gone unnoticed in Europe or the United States. B

Sept. 15, 2020

[Faye Flam] ’Follow the science’ just a slogan

Anyone observing President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic in the US would have good reason to wonder if his administration ever had much of a strategy for handling it. Last week the press accused one of his medical advisers, Scott Atlas, of promoting a “herd immunity strategy” amounting to letting COVID-19 run rampant. Atlas denies this, but a more important issue is what our strategy is, or should be, and what Joe Biden’s strategy would be if he&rsqu

Sept. 15, 2020

[David Fickling] Australia has a nuclear option in China diplomacy

After years of slow deterioration, diplomatic relations between China and Australia have taken a sharp turn for the worse. The disputes range from pressure on journalists, to spying allegations, to an investigation of Australia’s wine exports. Beijing holds most of the cards, but Australia does have one doomsday weapon at its disposal. It’s better not used. The conflict echoes China’s widening disputes with other countries. Two journalists working for Australian Broadcasting C

Sept. 14, 2020

[Clara Ferreira Marques] Brave new words hint at a less democratic future

In politics, language is a reliable indicator of the direction of travel. Today, rhetoric from the Republican Party convention in the US to India, and from Poland to Brazil, points away from liberal democracy. The change has rarely been swifter than in Hong Kong. The markers of autocratic speech are globally apparent. There’s the divisive “us versus them” rhetoric, the ad hominem attacks, the inflammatory comments on dissenters and the fetishization of law and order, feeding o

Sept. 14, 2020