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Tobin Harshaw
For Tobin Harshaw's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 3, 2020
The tiny island that's key to China's maritime ambitions
Thitu Island is little more than a rock, but the Philippines will lose it at its peril.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 20, 2019
Don't let giant clams start World War III
These shells are worth a fortune, but the price in environmental damage and heightened military tensions in the South China Sea is vastly higher.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 29, 2016
Silly burkini ban's serious reason
Criticisms of France's strict assimilation policy ignore the equally apparent failures of politically correct approaches intended to create a society in which 'everyone feels they have a stake.'
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 25, 2016
Why the U.S. should move nukes out of Turkey
The U.S. should move its nuclear missiles in southern Turkey to more secure European locations.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 12, 2016
Why women put on the suicide vest
On a list of history's most notorious assassins, alongside John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald and Gavrilo Princip, the name Thenmozhi Rajaratnam would probably draw mostly blank stares. But in her way, the Tamil Tiger terrorist — who blew up herself, the Indian leader Rajiv Gandhi and 13 others in May 1991 — has perhaps had the largest lasting influence.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 29, 2016
Those 'free rider' allies are finally paying up
There are signs that U.S. allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are starting to understand that the bill for the Pax Americana has come due.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 22, 2016
How Putin's Syria gamble has already paid off
While the jury is still out on whether Russia achieved all its objectives in Syria, it did succeed in showcasing its military strength.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 11, 2016
Saudi Arabia has bigger problems than Iran
While Saudi Arabia is hardly fertile ground for revolution, the government faces unprecedented challenges both within and outside the country.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 16, 2015
What does the Islamic State think it is doing?
Islamic State and its supporters may be congratulating themselves, seeing a barbaric victory in Paris, but they are forgetting the fate suffered by the Taliban in the months following the 9/11 attacks.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 20, 2015
Putin fires a shot across Obama's bow
Barack Obama insists that Vladimir Putin's intervention in Syria is a sign of weakness, but the Russian Navy's recent cruise missile launch showed rising strength.
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 28, 2015
War on Islamic State has given Jordan new life
Tiny, oil-poor Jordan has parlayed the war against Islamic State into tangible gains.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2015
Iran deal didn't trigger an arms race
The hyper-arming of the Middle East dates to the mid-2000s, before the U.S. and its partners began negotiating in earnest with Tehran over nuclear weapons.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?