The sudden death of Justice Antonin Scalia has given Chief Justice John Roberts a unique opportunity to affirm the Supreme Court’s rightful place in American politics: keeping the law above politics. He should seize it, even though -- and especially because -- the high court has a tenuous hold on that place.Within hours of Scalia’s death, Republican leaders in the Senate announced that they would not consider confirming his replacement until after the 2016 election. Never before has the Senate a

Viewpoints March 10, 2016

Thailand’s navy wants to buy a submarine -- and China‘s offer looks tempting. It is not only cheaper than the rest, but reportedly includes technology transfer and training. That, in a nutshell, describes the kind of friendship that China extends to the Thai military government now -- a relationship smoothed by appealing deals unattached to the political doctrines championed by much of the Western world.Work on the Sino-Thai railway project that will give the trans-Asian rail network a sea outle

Viewpoints March 10, 2016

Since the beginning of their prolonged war, corruption has been telling democracy that the latter is far from perfect, and that only by forging a pact together can both thrive. Democracy has been alternating between half-hearted resistance and full rebellion against the suggestion. But then along comes Donald Trump, in the freest land on Earth (or so it seems).Corruption: How will you explain the fact that someone branded a jerk, con-artist, IS recruiter, phony, plain idiot, big liar, phenomenal

Viewpoints March 10, 2016

If a strategy is announced and nobody is around to listen, does it make a sound? The European Union will find out the answer this June, when Federica Mogherini, its high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, presents a long overdue foreign and security strategy for Europe -- just when all eyes will be on the United Kingdom’s referendum on EU membership.The EU is adrift and desperately in need of a catalyst to renew its sense of purpose and dynamism. The global strategy could se

Viewpoints March 9, 2016

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

Viewpoints March 9, 2016

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

Viewpoints March 9, 2016

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

Viewpoints March 9, 2016

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’

Viewpoints March 8, 2016

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

Viewpoints March 8, 2016