opinion_
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Column
New ROK-US security partnership
New leaders of the Republic of Korea and the United States may begin strategic discussions on shaping a new role for their security partnership by examining two critical issues: reunification of the Korean Peninsula and revision of the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1953. These two issues might look separate,…
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Asia’s energy trilemma
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently said that energy was the “golden thread” connecting all of the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals. The solutions to energy challenges would help alleviate other global problems, from poverty and the rights of women to the protection of children. But the development of a stable,…
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Sovereignty in missiles
Accord should be start of self-reliant defense To have an independent national defense capability has long been a cherished ambition of all governments here. There can be little doubt that the Korea-U.S. agreement Sunday to more than double the range of the nation’s ballistic missiles marked an important step toward…
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[Indonesia Report] Indonesian Hindus celebrate annual Kasodo Ritual
Indonesian Hindu devotees held annual Kasada Ritual in Bromo Mountain as a form of gratitude on Saturday (Sept 6). Tengger Tribe who live around the mountain brought offerings to be thrown to the Bromo Mountain’s crater. They brought various crops to livestock. Kompas.com reported the event, describing this ritual as…
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‘I’m Korean,’ says Japanese in China
“Could you fly over here and help me?” a Japanese friend who runs a sushi restaurant in Beijing cried out over the phone. “Anti-Japanese demonstrators are throwing stones at my restaurant and the Beijing police are ignoring the violent actions against Japanese enterprises in the city!” “How can I help…
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Mitt Romney pulls October surprise
WASHINGTON ― Isn’t politics fun! We’ve been expecting an October surprise, and we got one! The Mitt Romney who demolished President Barack Obama in their first debate of the general-election season wasn’t the same candidate at all who has been campaigning for president for the last six years. Romney was…
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Why US is heading for ‘emotional isolationism’
LOS ANGELES ― Foreign policy has suddenly surfaced, like a leviathan sea monster, crawling onto the beach of the U.S. presidential campaign. If I were an incumbent American president seeking re-election, I might be worried. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet empire, American…
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Europe’s trial by crisis
BERLIN ― Some 2,500 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus concluded that war is the father of all things. He might have added that crisis is their mother. Fortunately, war between world powers is no longer a realistic option, owing to the threat of mutual nuclear destruction. But major…
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[Indonesia Report] Indonesian mixed doubles win in Taiwan Open
Indonesian Mixed Doubles, Muhammad Rijal and Debby Susanto won the first gold medal for Indonesia in Taiwan Open Tournament 2012 on Sunday (October 10). Rijal and Debby were favored to take the first place by defeating Hong Kong’s athletes, Lee Chun Hey and Chau Ho Wah. Rijal and Debby finally…
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Column
Graffiti proves to be powerful weapon against dictators
Graffiti has always been known to be the voice of those who can’t express themselves freely, those who would write or paint something that would leave that everlasting impact, something very Che Guevara-ish. Although graffiti isn’t something really familiar in your typical Egyptian neighborhood, except for some ultras graffiti. But since the…
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