LATEST OP-ED STORIES

A side effect of globalization involving trade and capital flow — which few people wish to talk about — is the tendency of Western culture to dominate that of poorer countries.

By DOMINIQUE MOISI

Why is there such a difference between the fate of Berlin — now covering the many scars of the past — and that of Israel, whose "security wall" is expanding like a fresh scar?

By JOHN DELURY

We should think of North Korea's economic transition process as a prerequisite for full denuclearization, rather than as the result of promising it a big assistance package.

By DAVID HOWELL

The countries with the best stories to tell at the U.N. Copenhagen conference on climate change will probably be those that have not signed up to carbon-reducing targets.

By JONATHAN SCHELL

If the Vietnam War disaster was launched in America's full awareness of past "lessons," why should those lessons be any more effective for the war in Afghanistan?

Japan-related commentary

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama already appears to be losing his influence partly because of the extraordinary amount of power vested in his party's secretary general.

By SHINJI FUKUKAWA

Japan must again examine whether the cap-and-trade system will become the Hatoyama administration's best policy tool for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Country-specific commentary

By HUGH CORTAZZI

Failings in the administration of criminal justice as well as the growing jail population are bound to be major issues in Britain's next general election, due in 2010.

By GAUTAMAN BHASKARAN

India sees Obama's first official visit to Asia, including China, as a great opportunity to play the Tibet card. But Obama must walk a tightrope to avoid overtly displeasing Beijing.

Global-related commentary

By ROBERT J. SHILLER

Governments and multilateral institutions made some reasonable attempts to restore economic confidence. But they did not "engineer" a recovery. They got lucky.

By PETER SINGER

The most influential, yet erroneous, argument against euthanasia is that once we let doctors kill patients, we won't be able to limit the killing to those who want to die.