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November 30, 2024

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COMMENTARY / World

Nov 20, 2003

Exposing the roots of Islam

By George Sioris

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- The former dynamic leader of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad, again made big waves, this time at his departing salvo. Most of the world's reactions focused on his remarks about Jews, but there were other interesting aspects in his comments regarding Islam that were perhaps overlooked....

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 20, 2003

Worlds apart: a tale of two Asian cities

By David Wall

LONDON -- I have spent most of the last two months traveling in the poor areas of western China (the mountain areas in south Ningxia, Qinghai and Gansu) and in Uzbekistan. What a contrast! You could describe the development process in western China as two steps forward and one step back, while in Uzbekistan...

EDITORIALS

Nov 19, 2003

The perils of permissiveness

The former Soviet republic of Georgia is breaking down. Despite years of aid and assistance, the country resembles a failing state, with its economy on the brink of collapse, separatist movements controlling large parts of the nation and fears that terrorists are using Georgian territory for their headquarters....

COMMENTARY

Nov 19, 2003

China's social mores shift as economic growth soars

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- The profound economic changes that China has undergone in the last quarter century have resulted not only in dramatic skyscrapers in all its major cities and a marked rise in the standard of living, but also in changing social mores, with attitudes today contrasting sharply with those of...

COMMENTARY

Nov 19, 2003

Freedom of choice and the ACLU don't quite go together hand in hand

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- Nadine Strossen, president of the American Civil Liberties Union, has written to ask me to become a "card-carrying member" of the ACLU. She explains: "There is no higher calling, nor greater reward, democracy can offer an individual than the opportunity to stand up for fundamental freedoms...

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 19, 2003

Islamic scholars: America's natural allies

By Amir Butler

MELBOURNE, Australia -- Since the tragic events of 9/11, millions of words have been written attempting to understand and explain the causes of Muslim terrorism and the extremist ideologies that underpin it. Many have suggested that terrorism is simply a reaction to social injustice, whereas others have...

EDITORIALS

Nov 18, 2003

Graying Japan needs a road map

Falling birthrates and aging populations -- largely consequences of affluence and longevity -- are a common phenomenon in industrialized countries. Japan is no exception, yet it stands out as an extraordinary case, historically as well as globally. To our knowledge, few countries have experienced such...

EDITORIALS

Nov 17, 2003

WTO says no to U.S. tariffs

The World Trade Organization has ruled that U.S. tariffs on imported steel are illegal, setting the stage for a showdown with the international body and U.S. trade partners. The ruling, which was widely anticipated, provides U.S. President George W. Bush with an opportunity to signal his commitment to...

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 17, 2003

U.S. continues to stir Muslim resentment

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE -- In an Oct. 1 report to the U.S. Congress, titled "Changing Minds, Winning Peace," a high-level panel warned that "hostility toward America had reached shocking levels." It recommended that the administration overhaul and increase public-relations efforts to salvage its plummeting image among...

COMMENTARY

Nov 17, 2003

Japan's milestone election

By Keizo Nabeshima

Japan took a major step toward a two-party system when the opposition Democratic Party of Japan made big gains in the Nov. 9 Lower House election. The poll will be remembered as a milestone in Japanese political history for this reason and because it was the first Japanese election to be fought over...

COMMENTARY / World

Nov 17, 2003

A weak dollar for a strong economy?

By Christopher Lingle

GUATEMALA -- Since mid-March, the dollar's value measured by a trade-weighted index against a basket of currencies has declined by 6 percent and by 9.6 percent for the entire year. Some economists, businessmen and politicians in America believe that a weaker dollar will be "good" for the U.S. economy....

EDITORIALS

Nov 16, 2003

No grounds for a McLawsuit

It has been a disheartening couple of weeks for hamburger juggernaut McDonald's. First came the news that McDonald's Japan, once on a seemingly unstoppable upward trajectory, will post a net loss this year for the second year in a row. Still, that was a regional headache, for which company officials...

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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