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COMMENTARY

Jul 23, 2001

A textbook lesson for Japan's leaders

By Brad Glosserman

HONOLULU -- The controversy over middle school textbooks continues to damage relations between Japan and South Korea. Last week, the Seoul government announced that it was canceling military exchanges and the introduction of Japanese cultural products in retaliation for Tokyo's failure to meet South...

COMMENTARY

Jul 22, 2001

Bush places the country on autopilot

By TED RALL

NEW ORLEANS -- The nation is reeling in the aftermath of a startling revelation from the White House: For the first time in its history, the United States is functioning entirely without an executive branch.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Jul 22, 2001

CCP is going nowhere fast

By Constantine Pleshakov

When the International Olympic Committee awarded Beijing the 2008 Summer Games, the decision was widely publicized as a move that would promote reforms in China, improve its human rights situation and eventually open China to the world. This is not unlike the rationale for awarding the 1980 Summer Games...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 22, 2001

Foreign Ministry troubles exact a high toll

By George Sioris

CHIANG MAI, Thailand -- It is with hesitation that I write about the current imbroglio involving the Foreign Ministry. First, this is a matter for the Japanese to sort out. Second, suspicions of partiality may arise, given my diplomatic background. But in spite of these valid points, I humbly put forward...

COMMENTARY

Jul 22, 2001

Yet another example of victor's justice

By Gregory Clark

Victor's justice is a two-edged sword. The attempt to bring former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic before a war-crimes tribunal in The Hague may satisfy the West's urge to find a bogeyman to justify its own irresponsible behavior toward the former Yugoslavia. But it is unlikely to impress those...

COMMENTARY

Jul 21, 2001

What happens after the Agra summit?

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- If India and Pakistan, South Asia's two nuclear-armed neighbors, were conscious of global concerns over the breakdown of the summit between their leaders at the historic city of Agra, they took little time before sending out identical messages.

COMMENTARY

Jul 21, 2001

Pakistan outmanuevered India

By Brahma Chellaney

NEW DELHI -- Behind the blame game over the collapse of the India-Pakistan summit in Agra, a harsh reality faces New Delhi. The expectations and calculations that prompted Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to make a dramatic U-turn in his Pakistan policy and invite Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf...

COMMENTARY

Jul 21, 2001

Campaign reform illusion deserves to die

By Doug Bandow

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Congress appears to have killed so-called campaign reform. Despite all of the wailing, legislators did the right thing. Campaign reform is an illusion which would only rearrange who has political influence.

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 21, 2001

Two victories for international justice

By Myint Zan

Slobodan Milosevic has again made history: this time as the first former head of state to be brought before an international tribunal to be tried for crimes against humanity and other violations of international law. It should be pointed out, though, that The Hague tribunal, where the former Yugoslav...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 20, 2001

Genoa: the recession summit

By Gwynne Dyer

LONDON — Only a dozen streets from Genoa's Ducal Palace, the protesters will be assaulting the barricades this weekend like medieval siege engineers. Inside the palace, the eight men who rule the world's richest economies — well, seven of the world's richest economies plus Russia, which is there...

COMMENTARY / World

Jul 20, 2001

'Field of Dreams' schemes bleed taxpayers

By Eric Johnston

A good deal of discussion on Japan's economic problems emphasizes the need to trim wasteful public works projects. Critics are quick to zero in on "hard" schemes such as bridges, highways, airports and dams that eat up huge chunks of tax money and are rarely used.

COMMENTARY / WASHINGTON UPDATE

Jul 19, 2001

Campaign finance reform bill continues to dominate a divided U.S. Congress

By Bob Keefe

This was "the week that was" for campaign finance reform. The stakes were high. The votes were close. You could cut the tension around the Capital with a knife. And when it was over, just like all the years in the recent past, there was no result. The only winner may well have been U.S. President George...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.

If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

Tsukuba massif granite, one of the world’s few heritage stones

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