It’s like we’re living in some kind of alternate universe where traditional paradigms have evaporated around the Syrian conflict. Suddenly, the fate of the world lies almost exclusively in the hands of France and its pragmatic Socialist President Francois Hollande ― and as a-right-winger based in France, I’m strangely comforted by this. France is the kind of friend who won’t always tell you want you want to hear, but they’ll have thought it through.Arguably, no nation is better positioned than F

Viewpoints Sept. 8, 2013

The most important indicator of whether India will crash is the sweat on Raghuram Rajan’s brow.The new Reserve Bank of India governor arrived in Mumbai this week with a bang, announcing a slew of reforms to free up and expand the banking sector and to draw more Indians into the formal financial system. The news impressed traders, who staged much-needed rallies in both stocks and the rupee on Sept. 5.India’s economic crisis, however, is still simmering, and Rajan still resembles the proverbial fr

Viewpoints Sept. 6, 2013

It is not unusual for avid readers to stand in line at a large downtown bookstore, waiting for a renowned novelist or a well-read poet to write his or her signature on the books they have just purchased. Nor is it rare for a foundation to hold a book-launching ceremony in honor of a scholar whose research program it has sponsored.Book launches may come in different styles. But one thing is common: The authors and their publishers aim at wide readership. Profit making is no less important for man

Editorial Sept. 6, 2013

Former President Chun Doo-hwan reportedly offered on Wednesday to pay his outstanding fines. If he did, he undoubtedly did so to prevent his children from being sent to prison.Chun, who took power in a coup as an Army general in 1980, collected huge sums of money in bribes from businesses. He was ordered by a court in 1997 to pay 220.5 billion won ($201 million) in fines. He has since paid less than a third of that.It is not known whether he offered to pay the remaining fines, which amount to 16

Editorial Sept. 6, 2013

The only international issue to raise a ripple in Australia’s election campaign has been Syria, which Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tried to exploit to highlight opponent Tony Abbott’s inexperience in world affairs. That’s unfortunate, because the most critical choice facing Australians on Sept. 7 isn’t between Rudd and Abbott. It’s between the U.S. and China. Nothing matters more to Australia’s long-term future than managing this increasingly difficult balancing act between the world’s two stronges

Viewpoints Sept. 5, 2013

To Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, hosting the 2020 Olympics must be more important than facing up to the worsening toxic water crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant.On Wednesday, just a few days ahead of the Sept. 7 announcement of the 2020 host city, Abe assured that “there will be absolutely no problem” by the time the Games were held seven years later.Abe’s assurance was based on a $500 million package his administration announced Tuesday to contain the leakage of radioactive water from

Editorial Sept. 5, 2013

Prosecutors have started questioning Rep. Lee Seok-ki of the United Progressive Party after arresting him Thursday on charges of conspiring to overthrow the Seoul government and forming an anti-state underground organization.They were able to detain the leftist legislator as the National Assembly approved his arrest Wednesday. The motion passed by an overwhelming margin, 258-14, showing that lawmakers took Lee’s alleged pro-North Korean activities very seriously. Now prosecutors and investigator

Editorial Sept. 5, 2013

What would Deng Xiaoping make of Charles Xue? It’s a surprisingly edifying question. In the past few weeks, Chinese authorities have been eager to show their allegiance to the rule of law. They have gone after Western pharmaceutical companies for bribery, milk-powder suppliers for price-fixing and a well-known British investigator for illegally obtaining information about Chinese citizens.The most riveting spectacle ― the often salacious testimony in the trial of Bo Xilai, a former Politburo mem

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2013

If President Obama ever does get around to targeting Syria, with congressional approval, it will be the strangest U.S. military strike in recent memory.The administration has made a convincing case that the Syrian regime gassed 1,400 of its own people to death last month, including 426 children. And yes, the use of poison gas violates longstanding international norms.Yet Obama can’t seem to make up his mind if he wants to punish Syria for using chemical weapons or not.On Saturday, he made a stro

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2013

Teachers teach the way they were taught. They pay more attention to receptive skills (listening and reading) than productive skills (speaking and writing). What most teachers do in class is reading and translating English, and they think they have done a fine job. They monopolize most of the class hour without letting students talk because they never learned how to reduce their teacher talk. How can a swimmer learn to swim by watching their coach swim in the pool most of the time? Depending on t

Viewpoints Sept. 4, 2013

It is mind-boggling that the nation’s parliament has a member who allegedly attempted to use it as a “bridgehead for revolutionary struggle” and conspired to subvert the South Korean government through an armed revolt.Prosecutors made these allegations against Lee Seok-ki, a first-term lawmaker of the minor opposition United Progressive Party. They submitted detailed charges against Lee, 51, to the National Assembly on Tuesday as they sought parliamentary consent for his arrest. According to the

Editorial Sept. 3, 2013