TOM PLATE WRITES — There was always something of the Goliath versus David, if you framed such a thesis/antithesis picture: of Ruth Bader Ginsburg up against Donald J. Trump – the diminutive versus the hulk, the thinker versus the non-thinker, the caring versus the uncaring. But someone of stature had…
Full Article US: CAN JUDGE RUTH BADER GINSBURG’S PASSING PUSH FOR A FINAL CHANGE?
CHARLES E. MORRISON WRITES — Labor Day, in early September, traditionally marks the beginning of the U.S. presidential election campaigns. Now the race is almost continuous over a two-year period. But following the two national party conventions in last weeks of August, it has entered the final, two-month decisive stage.…
Full Article A LETTER FROM AMERICA: BUT WHO WILL WIN THE ELECTION?
MOON CHUNG-IN WRITES –To avoid a new Cold War with Washington, Beijing needs to clarify its national strategy and win over the international community A country where the Communist Party dictatorship oppresses its people. A country whose hegemonic ambitions threaten the world. The country responsible for spreading the COVID-19 virus…
Full Article WORLD: CAN CHINA TRULY BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER?
(Published by The Straits Times of Singapore, August 29) MARK J. VALENCIA WRITES – Relations between the United States and China – overall and in the South China Sea in particular – are rapidly deteriorating. The two countries are escalating the situation and a military clash is a distinct possibility.…
Full Article SOUTH CHINA SEA: HOW CHINA AND THE US CAN AVOID A CLASH
LILLY WEBBER WRITES — In a tweet posted recently on his official Twitter, Floridan politician KW Miller asked the following question: “Why was AOC conspiring with Koreans such as Junkook and BTS (Big Time Socialists) to undermine our President?”. Miller’s tweet was in response to the low audience turnout at President Donald…
Full Article K-POP CULTURE V. US IGNORANCE: THE BTS ‘CONSPIRACY’
SARA ALTUWAIJRI WRITES – As both an American and Saudi Citizen, I have experienced first-hand how Americans view the outside world. The Western media tends to focus on the negative side when talking about Asia and the Middle East while overlooking positive aspects. For example, there is a common belief that…
Full Article MEDIA: THE WEST VS THE REST
ASSOCIATE EDITOR CAMILLE BRYAN WRITES — Savannah, a small town in Tennessee, along with the rest of the United States, has had a recent surge in coronavirus cases in the past weeks, up to 238 since July 23. The day Wuhan ended its lockdown that number was 2. The residents…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?
KISHORE MAHBUBANI WRITES — No one knows what the post–Covid-19 world will look like. But we know it will be very different. Many countries are likely to suffer from low growth and high debt, the “Japanese disease.” Poor developing countries will certainly suffer from this condition. Yet for developed economies, the…
Full Article THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY: IS THE WORLD STILL AT RISK OF THE “JAPAN DISEASE” ?
PATRICK POLESHUK WRITES — If the Covid-19 catastrophe has benefited us in any way, it is in teaching us that humanity is never absolved from vulnerability. In the wake of global pandemic panic, thoughts about what is going to happen soon are beginning to overshadow thoughts on our long-term existence. How will…
Full Article U.S. AND ASIA: A NEW WORLD ORDER OF ENVIRONMENTALISM
ASSOCIATE EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES—These days, it’s not hard to hear “You’re canceled.” But do people understand what this is really about? Cancel culture refers to the popular practice of withdrawing support for (canceling) public figures and companies after they have done or said something considered seriously offensive.…
Full Article CULTURE: CANCELING FROM THE WEST TO THE EAST
CHARLOTTE TRUONG, WHO HAILS FROM VIETNAM, WRITES — Recently, Netflix has stepped into the Asian movie market through collaborative works such as Kingdom of Korea and The Victim’s Game of Taiwan. Among them, Da 5 Bloods (Vietnamese title: 5 Chien Huu) is a film directed by Spike Lee, filmed in…
Full Article VIETNAM: SPIKE LEE’S MOVIE ‘DA 5 BLOODS’ IS OUT OF SYNC WITH THE COUNTRY IT PORTRAYS
ASSOCIATE EDITOR CAMILLE BRYAN WRITES — Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so why are we surprised that after thousands of years of colonialism, those failed by the system are rising up? How could a nation expect to keep such tight control over marginalized communities and expect them…
Full Article FROM TIANANMEN TO MINNEAPOLIS AND BEYOND: HOPEFUL FOR POSITIVE CHANGE
ASSOCIATE EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES — Just weeks into the protest of “Black Lives Matter,” a movement among young Chinese people is starting to grow as they shout out their support for the cause. “Chinese For Black Lives,” founded by feminist activist Xiaowen Liang, has been seen organizing…
Full Article US PROTESTS: CHINESE FOR BLACK LIVES
TOM PLATE WRITES — Lockdown. Many of us have just been through it; others of us are still stuck in it. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the term usually meant the kind of harsh confinement that befall inmates of a penal institution in the wake of a prison riot. Slight…
Full Article TRUMP AND XI: THE ERA OF NON-MAGICAL THINKING
MANAGING EDITOR SENAY EMMANUEL WRITES — From Minneapolis to Miami, Boston to Berlin, and even as far as Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, the world is expressing its dismay and revulsion at the seemingly lawless and brutal nature of American police. The senseless murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by Minneapolis…
Full Article FROM HK TO THE US: SOLIDARITY AMONG PROTESTERS