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November 27, 2024

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COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Jul 20, 2003

'Potter': the order of parents

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- It is normal for a parent to distrust the things kids like. Having heard enthusiastic reports about some new product, be it a toy, computer game or movie, an average parent issues a suspicious grunt, thinking that it is probably overpriced, stupid and aggressive, and that the kid will never...

COMMENTARY

Jul 19, 2003

No assault on U.S. morality

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- For more than a year American politics has focused on war in Iraq. But the Supreme Court's decision voiding state antisodomy laws has inflamed the culture war in America. Conservative religious groups prophesy a moral apocalypse; Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is calling for a federal...

COMMENTARY

Jul 19, 2003

Hong Kong's democratic hopes vs. authoritarian fears

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- July 1, 2003 -- when at least 500,000 Hong Kongers marched in nonviolent protest -- will live long in memory, provided that Hong Kong remains an oasis of freedom set in China's authoritarian sea. But it was also a day that will almost certainly be expunged from the Chinese collective memory...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 18, 2003

Discontent runs deep in Hong Kong

By Jonathan Fenby

LONDON -- The way in which the administration in Hong Kong was forced to pull back from its proposed antisubversion legislation has rightly been hailed as a rare example of popular feeling making its impact on the unelected government of the former British colony. But it raises more fundamental questions...

COMMENTARY

Jul 17, 2003

Sino-Indian ties could benefit Pakistan

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- The recent visit to China by Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is seen as the first step toward a turning point in relations between Delhi and Beijing following India's acceptance of China's sovereignty over Tibet. The emerging warmth in Sino-Indian ties is also viewed in Pakistan...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 17, 2003

Why India said 'no' to U.S.

By Ramesh Thakur

Those who think little of the United Nations are constantly puzzled by the authority it continues to exert for many others around the world. On Monday, India decided against sending a major contingent of troops to Iraq because the operation would be outside the U.N. mandate, thereby reconfirming Secretary...

COMMENTARY

Jul 16, 2003

Parties gear up for elections

By Kenzo Uchida

The political situation in Japan is already heating up in anticipation of a period of turbulence in the fall. The current ordinary session of the Diet has been extended until July 26, and it seems certain that the bill concerning Japan's support for the reconstruction of Iraq, the focal point of the...

COMMENTARY

Jul 15, 2003

A Japanese force for peace

By Keizo Nabeshima

The Lower House has approved a special bill that would allow Japan to aid in the reconstruction of war-ravaged Iraq. The bill is expected to be enacted late this month after the Upper House passes it. Under the new law, about 1,000 troops of the Self-Defense Forces will go to Iraq, beginning in October,...

COMMENTARY

Jul 13, 2003

Shabby cause to shed blood

By Gregory Clark

The bad news is that the Japanese government wants to send troops to Iraq. Tokyo's rush into overseas military involvements is far stronger than anyone would have imagined possible even a few years ago.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 12, 2003

East Asian FTA? Dream on!

By David Wall

LONDON -- At their summit meeting in Beijing last week, Presidents Roh Moo Hyun of South Korea and Hu Jintao of China agreed to push for a summit declaration on the establishment of a free trade area (FTA) among South Korea, China and Japan.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 11, 2003

Paris plays multilateral card

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE — Although one of the most notable moments at the June 1-3 Group of Eight summit in Evian, France, was the rapprochement between U.S. President George W. Bush and French President Jacques Chirac, Franco-American relations have not been completely restored. Senior Bush administration officials...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 11, 2003

Australia takes on role as sheriff of the South Seas

By Alan Goodall

SYDNEY -- South Pacific island states, led by Australia and New Zealand, are gearing up for an historic intervention in the internal affairs of one their distressed members, Solomon Islands. An armed "invasion" should land within weeks.

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

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

Azabudai Hills, Tokyo’s green new downtown ‘village’

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