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COMMENTARY

Jan 23, 2005

The lobbyists who advertise

By Ronald Meinardus

MANILA -- As the complexity of the issues facing our societies continues to grow, political decision-makers increasingly face the problem of how to handle what is often termed information overkill.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 23, 2005

Pitching a U.S.-South Korean divorce

By Richard Halloran

HONOLULU -- In a provocative new book, the authors propose that the United States and South Korea agree to an "amicable divorce" in which all American military forces would be withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula and the security treaty that has made South Korea and America allies for 50 years would be...

COMMENTARY

Jan 22, 2005

Too soon to end U.S. military's aid effort

By Tom Plate

LOS ANGELES -- What seems truly noteworthy about the U.S. response to the tsunami disaster (especially as viewed here from the West Coast) is the dramatic duration of the caring. Even as the TV media have begun to lose interest (predictably), the general interest here seems not to be waning at all.

COMMENTARY

Jan 18, 2005

Same old contrived hysteria

By Gregory Clark

Japan seems headed for yet another bout of emotional confrontation with North Korea and China.

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Jan 17, 2005

Unprecedented migration has EU on edge

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- Barbarian invasions from the east are old news for old Europe. Over the centuries, restless nomads kept rolling through the area -- sometimes to kill, sometimes to plunder, and sometimes to plunder and stay.

COMMENTARY

Jan 17, 2005

Japan seizes the moment

By Brad Glosserman

HONOLULU -- Japan has put itself at the forefront of international relief efforts in the wake of the devastating Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami. Tokyo is acting both out of concern for the victims and to forward its own political-diplomatic strategy. Japan's reaction has demonstrated the role that Tokyo...

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 16, 2005

New beginning for Malaysia, Singapore

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE -- This year promises to usher in a new entente between Malaysia and Singapore, leading to better Asian regional cooperation and development. Singapore-Malaysian bilateral relations hit a new high after Singapore Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong made a one-day working visit to Kuala Lumpur on...

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 15, 2005

Notion of an 'independent' missile defense is snake oil

By Robyn Lim

According to press reports, Japan intends to mount an "independent" missile defense so as not to violate a constitutional interpretation that prohibits Japan from engaging in collective self-defense. Thus Japan would refrain from shooting down missiles that pass over Japan but are targeted at "other...

COMMENTARY

Jan 15, 2005

Geopolitical jockeying leads to more aid

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- The outpouring of sympathy and support for survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami continues around the world, providing striking testament to humanity's willingness to help each other in times of need.

COMMENTARY

Jan 14, 2005

Busting tired political myths

By David Howell

LONDON -- Opinion polls continue to put the British Labour Party well ahead of other parties, and the general expectation of the political pundits is that Prime Minister Tony Blair will win yet again when the general election comes, most probably on May 5.

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 11, 2005

Daunting U.S. tasks in Asia

By Michael H. Armacost

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- President George W. Bush has claimed a renewed mandate and has reshuffled his national securit team. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will become Secretary of State, and Steve Hadley will move up at the National Security Council. Richard Armitage and Jim Kelly, who have...

COMMENTARY / World

Jan 10, 2005

Why does CCP still fret over the news?

By David Wall

LONDON -- A short while ago, when I was in Beijing, I wanted to keep up with some political development in Hong Kong. I turned on my computer and went to the Asia-Pacific page of the BBC's Web site. Or at least I tried to; I had forgotten that the BBC site is blocked in China.

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.

Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.

By Tomoko Otake

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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