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August 06, 2025

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COMMENTARY

Apr 27, 2007

America the not so beautiful

By David Howell

LONDON -- It is becoming harder and harder to stay friends with the United States. Hands and hearts stretch out to the American people at this moment as they reel under the truly frightful trauma of the berserk Korean immigrant gunning down droves of students and teachers on a Virginian university campus....

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 27, 2007

United Kingdom divorce in the pipeline?

The political marriage of the Scots and English parliaments was consummated 300 years ago in 1707. In less than a week the Scots may begin filing for divorce. The date of the Scottish parliamentary elections on May 3 could herald the end of three centuries of union. U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair may...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 26, 2007

Drought dampens Aussie economic boom

By Alan Goodall

SYDNEY -- Weird is the only word for it. In the midst of its biggest-ever economic boom, Australia is drying up. Underground, minerals are being dug up and shipped to Asia at record rates for record prices. Above ground, a drought is so bad that this food-exporting country may not be able to feed itself....

COMMENTARY

Apr 26, 2007

North Korean nuclear deal

By Ralph Cossa

HONOLULU -- (More than) a day later, but not a dollar short. That pretty much sums up what to Pyongyang is a perfectly reasonable negotiating position. It will honor its end of the Feb. 13, 2007, "action for action" denuclearization deal, once the money is in the bank. In short, "checkbook diplomacy"...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 26, 2007

Sarkozy vs. Segolene at last

By Dominique Moisi

WARSAW -- The surprise in the first round of the French presidential election was that there was no surprise, except for the huge level of voter turnout. The two leaders of the right and of the left, the favorites in all the polls for a long time, came first and second.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 24, 2007

No smile limit in this Australian town

By Peter Singer

PRINCETON, New Jersey -- If you were to walk along the streets of your neighborhood with your face up and an open expression, how many of those who passed you would smile, or greet you in some way?

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 24, 2007

Reviving the Mideast quartet

By Volker Perthes

BERLIN -- Following the formation of a Palestinian unity government between Fatah and Hamas, and the Arab League summit that revived King Abdullah's peace plan of 2002, it is time for the so-called Middle East Quartet, consisting of the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States,...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 24, 2007

The taming of 'speculative capitalism'

By Robert J. Shiller

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Nicolas Sarkozy, the leading contender in the French presidential election, recently lashed out against what he called "speculative capitalism," and says he wants to "moralize the financial zone" created by the euro. What does Sarkozy mean by "speculative capitalism?" Something immoral,...

COMMENTARY

Apr 23, 2007

Restoring the military's honor

By Kiroku Hanai

I was disappointed by two recent moves by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's administration to whitewash Japan's war responsibility, although I was not really surprised. After all, Abe comes from the most conservative faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, as did his predecessor Junichiro Koizumi....

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 23, 2007

Latin America's responses to U.S. power

By Carlos Perez Llana

CORDOBA, Argentina -- U.S. President George W. Bush's free-falling popularity, his loss of control over Congress, the nagging doubts about the economy and most of all his discredited reputation as a result of the debacle in Iraq all magnify the characteristic weakness of lame-duck American presidents....

COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT

Apr 22, 2007

Who dares take the 'Q' out of Japan's 5-star kyushoku?

By Roger Pulvers

Is one of the great institutions of Japanese cul- ture succumbing to a slow, gnawing attack? It may be. I tell you, if this icon is lost, all we'll have left of the culture will be a few cartoons and some rusting karaoke machines.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 20, 2007

France's identity politics

By Raphael Hadas-Lebel

PRAGUE -- One big surprise of the current presidential campaign in France is how "national identity" has surged to the forefront of the political debate. During the 1995 presidential campaign, the main issues were unemployment and social divisions. In 2002, the priority was security. But the three main...

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

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.

With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear

By Jason Coskrey

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

Looking ahead to Yokohama’s Green × Expo 2027

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