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November 28, 2024

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COMMENTARY

Jun 5, 2004

Filipino politicians just don't like to lose

By Ronald Meinardus

MANILA -- For the international media, the Philippine elections are a done deal, since the head of the Commission on Elections in an all but orthodox manner unofficially let it be known that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo beat her main contender, ex-movie star Fernando Poe Jr., by more than 900,000...

COMMENTARY

Jun 5, 2004

Badawi: A kinder Mahathir?

By Ralph Cossa

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi is proving to be a kinder, gentler, but no less candid, thoughtful and thought-provoking version of his mercurial predecessor.

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 4, 2004

Seoul's labor moves could destroy jobs

By Christopher Lingle

LUXEMBOURG -- Democracy everywhere increasingly involves politicians seeking short-run gains for themselves and small interest-groups while imposing large costs on most of the population. This trend toward cynical, zero-sum games is most evident in South Korea when it comes to the labor market. It is...

COMMENTARY

Jun 4, 2004

A celebration and reckoning

By Andre Fontaine

PARIS -- The European Union should figure heavily in the headlines this month. To start with, U.S. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac, Russian President Vladimir Putin and many other heads of states, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder,...

COMMENTARY

Jun 3, 2004

1-2 punch to modern health

By Hugh Cortazzi

LONDON -- In the "bad old days," tuberculosis and epidemics of infectious diseases were the main killers. In advanced societies today, the No. 1 killers are cardiovascular problems and various forms of cancer. Some of these diseases can be traced to hereditary causes, but lifestyle and environment are...

COMMENTARY / World

Jun 2, 2004

China threatens Hong Kong's freedoms

By Kevin Rafferty

When China resumed sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997 after 150 years of British rule, the "one country, two systems" formula for this special administrative region of China promised that Beijing would leave Hong Kong's free-wheeling capitalist way of life untouched for at least 50 years.

COMMENTARY

Jun 1, 2004

Koizumi took the right risks

By Keizo Nabeshima

The success or failure of summit diplomacy depends primarily on whether it promotes the pursuit of medium- and long-term national interests -- not on whether it yields short-term, specific results. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's May 22 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il should be evaluated...

COMMENTARY / World

May 31, 2004

Gandhi grew stronger by stepping back

By Ramesh Thakur

Sonia Gandhi surprised herself, her party, the country and the world by leading the Congress alliance to victory in India's 14th general election. Having shattered the hubris and complacency of the Bharatiya Janata Party government and punctured the pride of the political pundits, she then stunned everyone...

COMMENTARY / World

May 31, 2004

Elites out of touch on Iraq

By Alfred Balitzer

CLAREMONT, California -- America's ability to play a positive role in the world, especially with regard to supporting its allies and friends, depends significantly on achieving its wartime aims in Iraq. While it is common to speak of the United States as the world's only remaining superpower, at best...

COMMENTARY

May 31, 2004

Taiwan-China gap can still be bridged

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- The conciliatory inaugural address May 20 by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian, taken together with a major statement a few days earlier by Beijing, show that both Taiwan and mainland China are eager to avoid a confrontation. It is now conceivable that, given good will and flexibility on both...

COMMENTARY

May 31, 2004

Recovery needs new markets

By Takamitsu Sawa

The Japanese economy is finally showing signs of recovery after remaining in the doldrums since May 1991, according to media reports. For example, stock prices are rising, corporate performance is improving, exports are expanding and capital spending is growing.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM NEW YORK

May 31, 2004

The buck for abuse once stopped at the top

By Hiroaki Sato

NEW YORK -- One of the early explanations proffered for "Iraq prison abuse" was the U.S. military's failure to foresee the large numbers of Iraqis they would round up. This explanation (included in the May 9 New York Times article "In Abuse, a Picture of G.I.'s Ill Prepared and Overwhelmed") lost credibility...

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Totopa in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward was picked by consultants TTNE as the best sauna of the year.

Japan’s sauna movement: Relax, refresh, repeat

By Greg Dvorak

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

The celebrated artist ‘updating’ the kimono

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