[Daniel DePetris] Pessimism is growing in Ukraine over its war with Russia

Last August, more than two months after Ukraine began its counteroffensive against Russian positions in the east, US national security adviser Jake Sullivan was asked about whether the war was degenerating into a stalemate. Sullivan’s answer: no. “We do not assess that the conflict is a stalemate,” he said at the time. “We are seeing (Ukraine) continue to take territory on a methodical, systematic basis.” Fast-forward to today, and the cautious optimism cited by US

Nov. 14, 2023

[Bobby Ghosh] No, Gazans can’t rise up against Hamas

“They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’etat.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog ought to know better than to have said that. But those who don’t -- those who had no call to pay attention to Palestinian politics until a month ago -- might be forgiven for asking why Hamas has never faced a serious uprising from within their Gazan redoubt in the 17 years it has ruled the strip. That it has not allows some, in

Nov. 10, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Make plan for ‘years after’ war ends

Last week, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken headed for the Middle East to try to keep Israel's war in Gaza from spinning out of control, and to begin talks on what diplomats call "the day after" -- what happens after the shooting stops. Who will govern a shattered Gaza? Who will feed and house its refugees? Who will police its ravaged streets? And perhaps improbably, can the war, however brutal its toll, be turned into an opening for a wider peace? "When this crisis is ov

Nov. 9, 2023

[Peter Singer, Charles Camosy] Definition of death: When do we die?

“What is it you don’t understand? She’s dead, dead, dead.” That is how David Durand, Chief Medical Officer of Oakland’s Children’s Hospital, attempted to convince the family of Jahi McMath that the standard medical tests for brain death had shown that their teenage daughter was no longer alive. The family stood firm in opposing this view, and the hospital eventually allowed them to take her to New Jersey, the only US state that requires hospitals to accommodat

Nov. 9, 2023

[James Stavridis] What the US should do about Iran

I spent much of my professional life deployed forward in the Arabian Gulf and encountered Iranian naval forces there on many occasions. They were uniformly unprofessional, confrontational, and clearly seized with making life as difficult as possible for both legitimate merchant shipping and naval warships from the many nations with whom the Iranians have intractable differences. They are cowardly in the face of opposing military forces, but dangerous and unpredictable. As I watch the situation i

Nov. 8, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] What we can learn from 'Terminator Genisys'

The 1991 American science fiction film, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” teaches us one valuable lesson: “Appearances are deceiving.” In the movie, a man in a police uniform is, in fact, a T-1000 advanced cyborg that is a ruthless killing machine. Conversely, the man dressed like a motorcycle gangster, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a good cyborg whose mission is to protect John Connor, the future leader of the human resistance against the Artificial Intelligence that t

Nov. 8, 2023

[Antara Haldar] ‘Women’s economics’ goes mainstream

William Shakespeare’s 1597 comedy “Love’s Labor’s Lost” tells the story of four Frenchmen as they navigate the tension between commitment to intellectual development and the quest for domestic bliss. Some four centuries later, Harvard economist Claudia Goldin reimagined the tale from the vantage point of American women balancing career and family. Now, Goldin’s profound insights into women’s labor-market outcomes have won her a Nobel Memorial Prize in Ec

Nov. 7, 2023

[Andrew Sheng] Has the West lost the Rest?

The images and news coming out of Gaza are so horrific that I cannot think of anything hopeful or constructive that can come of this cataclysm. Using Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development members as a crude proxy for the West, it accounts for 63 percent of world GDP, three-quarters of world trade, over half of the world's energy consumption, and 18 percent of the world's population. The Western world sees itself as a paragon of civilizational progress and modernity, whe

Nov. 7, 2023

[Kenneth Seeskin] Who do the Jewish people elicit so much hatred?

The rise in antisemitic incidents in the US should concern all of us because it is rarely an isolated phenomenon. According to a recent report from the Anti-Defamation League, the number of antisemitic incidents in the US increased by 36 percent from 2021 to 2022, when it reached the staggering total of 3,697. The war in the Middle East is certain to make the numbers this year even worse. What causes this? Why do a people who constitute 0.2 percent of the world’s population elicit so much

Nov. 6, 2023

[Robert J. Fouser] Redrawing subnational boundaries in Korea

Last Monday, National Assembly representative Kim Gi-hyeon, leader of the ruling People Power Party stated that the party supports the city of Gimpo becoming part of Seoul. Kim made the remarks at a meeting to discuss transportation in new cities in Gyeonggi Province, which surrounds Seoul. He said that the party would push the plan if it received enough public support. The plan has the support of Gimpo Mayor Kim Byeong-soo and other local People Power Party leaders. Mayor Kim said that he wou

Nov. 3, 2023

[Wang Son-taek] How to stop the forced repatriation

Recently, shocking news broke that China has forcibly sent hundreds of North Korean defectors to North Korea. Although the claim has not yet been verified, the Ministry of Unification commented that a large number of North Koreans were sent, though did not use the word "defector." The ministry’s response hinted that a sizable number of North Korean defectors could have been included. Forced repatriation of North Korean defectors poses a severe risk of a humanitarian catastrophe b

Nov. 2, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Seven types of abuse in our society

Abuse, sadly, comes in a wide variety of forms. Of them, the most widely known is child abuse. In advanced countries, child abuse is a serious crime subject to heavy penalties. Some classic types of child abuse include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Accordingly, corporal punishment against children hardly exists anymore in a country such as America where children are strictly protected and widely respected. Protecting children against abusive words and violent languag

Nov. 1, 2023

[Doyle McManus] Russia-watcher’s view of global crisis

Fiona Hill is worried. The onetime Russia adviser to then-President Donald Trump fears that support for Ukraine is gradually eroding, encouraging Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to wait the West out. “Putin feels everything is trending in his favor,” she warns. But she’s worried about much more than that, beginning with Israel’s war in Gaza, which has made the world more dangerous. The two conflicts aren’t directly linked, but each is likely to affect the

Nov. 1, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Drop that hot dog for your health

The health case against regularly eating red meat keeps getting stronger. At what point is the data convincing enough for Americans to change their diets? One recent study found that eating red meat increases the risk of type 2 diabetes; another paper finds a diet low in meat, sugar and salt but rich in vegetables and legumes is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s. And both studies -- which followed thousands of people for decades -- show that replacing even a few servings of meat

Oct. 31, 2023

[Daniel DePetris] Biden‘s goals in Israel-Hamas war

As the war between Israel and Hamas enters its third week, US President Joe Biden is walking a tightrope and trying to accomplish three objectives simultaneously: ensure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself in what Israeli defense officials admit will be a long and grueling campaign; remind the Israelis that civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip should be kept to an absolute minimum; and prevent the Israel-Hamas conflict from spiraling into a regional conflagration. It’s the geo

Oct. 27, 2023

[Joseph E. Stiglitz] Fixing global economic governance

Following the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank this month, the Middle East is teetering on the edge of a major conflict, and the rest of the world continues to fracture along new economic and geopolitical lines. Rarely have the shortcomings of world leaders and existing institutional arrangements been so glaringly obvious. The IMF’s governing body could not even agree on a final communique. True, the World Bank, under its new leadership, has committe

Oct. 26, 2023

[Lisa Jarvis] Telehealth should stick around

The COVID pandemic seemed to worsen teens’ and adolescents’ mental health, according to several recent studies. But now, new research shows a reason for hope: Telehealth seems to be giving many more kids access to support. That’s a win worth celebrating. And it should push us to ensure virtual care is more permanently and equitably integrated into mental health services for minors. The worrisome gap between kids who need help and those who get it predates the pandemic. For exam

Oct. 25, 2023

[Kim Seong-kon] Three movies our politicians must watch

Three futuristic Hollywood thrillers, “Doom,” “Dune” and “Heart of Stone,” illuminate compelling issues we are now facing due to our problematic politicians. In “Doom,” which is set in 2046, an unknown creature attacks researchers at the Union Aerospace Corporation on Mars. Eight marines, including team leader, Sergeant “Sarge” Mahonin, and John “Reaper” Grimm, arrive at the research facility to eliminate the unidentified as

Oct. 24, 2023

[Lili Yan Ing] G7’s anti-coercion campaign against China

On Oct. 28-29, Japan will host the G7 Trade Ministers’ Meeting in Osaka. The primary focus of the gathering will be improving supply-chain resilience and strengthening export controls on critical minerals and technologies. But China’s “economic coercion,” particularly the widespread disruption caused by its non-transparent and market-distorting industrial policies, is also expected to be high on the agenda. Since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, China has rep

Oct. 24, 2023