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August 02, 2025

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COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2004

Clash of ideas behind violence

By David Howell

LONDON -- Behind all the horrors and bloodshed of Iraq lies a clash of ideas. In the words of one mujahedin leader when asked to explain his hatred of America: "We do not want their capitalism. We do not want communism. We have our own ideas about how we want our country to be run in a Muslim way."

COMMENTARY

Apr 20, 2004

Hong Kong protesters roll up their sleeves

By Frank Ching

HONG KONG -- The April 11 protest against Beijing's decision to interpret the Basic Law's provisions in a way that makes it impossible for the Special Administrative Region, or SAR, to initiate moves toward universal suffrage marks the first large protest against the central government since the handover...

EDITORIALS

Apr 19, 2004

The confident Mr. Bush

It has been a rough couple of weeks for U.S. President George W. Bush, but it would be hard to tell from his performance at a press conference last week. Mr. Bush showed no doubts or hesitation about the decisions he has made concerning Iraq or the wider war against terror. He and his administration...

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 19, 2004

Malaysia gives Islam a chance to shine

By Eric Teo Chu Cheow

SINGAPORE -- The 11th Malaysian general election March 21 was a historic moment in Malaysian politics and a political watershed in the country's history. It may also have been the turning point in the universal Islamic debate over religion and development, especially as these polls constitute the first...

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2004

South Korea's youth now in driver's seat

By Tom Plate

NEW YORK -- Veteran Asia-hand Nicholas Platt isn't quite ready to canonize Roh Moo Hyun as a great contemporary Asian leader -- notwithstanding last week's stunning endorsement of the populist president of South Korea in elections that catapulted the progressive, pro-Roh party to the top of the heap...

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2004

Karzai must address ethnic imbalance

By Farhan Bokhari

ISLAMABAD -- The U.S.-backed regime of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, which has been promised more than $8 billion in international economic aid over the next three years, is still struggling to consolidate its political position.

COMMENTARY

Apr 19, 2004

Push Japan's good intentions

By Keizo Nabeshima

The lesson from the abduction and subsequent release of five Japanese civilians in Iraq is that the government should send a strong message to the Arab world that it is actively pushing humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in the war-torn country.

EDITORIALS

Apr 18, 2004

A political quake in South Korea

Parliamentary elections last week have transformed politics in South Korea. The Uri Party -- which did not exist a year ago -- has won an absolute majority in the National Assembly, giving President Roh Moo Hyun control of the legislature for the first time since he was elected a year and a half ago...

COMMENTARY / THE VIEW FROM MOSCOW

Apr 18, 2004

Revisiting an evil stereotype

By Constantine Pleshakov

MOSCOW -- Each country has a reputation. For France, it is wine and food; for Italy, wine, food and the pope; for Holland, canals; for Austria, skiing; for Russia vodka, snow and bears.

COMMENTARY / World

Apr 18, 2004

Seoul should offer Bush a dose of reality

By Eugene B. Kogan

WASHINGTON -- "A friend in need is a friend indeed," a saying goes. South Korea's decision on April 2 to send some 3,600 troops to Iraq is a fitting illustration of the adage. The deployment will make South Korea the largest U.S. coalition partner in Iraq after Britain.

COMMENTARY

Apr 18, 2004

Death of Deng's triangular relationship

By Harvey Stockwin

HONG KONG -- One certainty emerges amid the democratic turmoil in Taiwan and Hong Kong and amid the authoritarian turmoil in the higher reaches of the Chinese Communist Party, which is skilled at concealing its innate factionalism: The triangular relationship between China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as envisaged...

EDITORIALS

Apr 17, 2004

Hostage release no peace gesture

The three Japanese taken hostage in Iraq have been set free. The joy felt at their release has been tempered by news that two other Japanese have been seized, the savage murder of an Italian security guard by his kidnappers and the knowledge that nearly 20 other foreigners are still being held in Iraq....

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

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

Muji has been sustainable from the beginning

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