TOM PLATE WRITES — Minari is both the name for a celery-like herbal plant and the title of a wonderful new Korean-American movie that is stealing people’s hearts and winning major recognition. The plant is also a symbolic plot point that is as rich in the movie as the real-life…
Full Article KOREAN PENINSULA: KEY ROLE FOR AN OUTSIDE (LADY) MEDIATOR?
FOUNDER TOM PLATE WRITES — How can a fiery logjam be tamed by throwing more logs onto the fire? The Backstory: The Korean mess began brewing long before the current U.S. administration took power. It is true that since January President Donald Trump’s madman/rocket man pugnacity has unnerved just about…
Full Article KOREAN PENINSULA: BEIJING FLOATS A SURPRISE ‘GERMAN’ GAMBITCOURTESY OF THE WORLD POST, KISHORE MAHBUBANI WRITES FROM SINGAPORE — The rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in American politics has shocked the world. America has consistently projected itself as the country that could be trusted for political predictability and stability. While extremist or fringe movements might emerge…
Full Article SINGAPORE: BEHIND THE TRUMPET OF THE PESSIMISTS
LEXIE TUCKER WRITES– If China, South Korea, and Japan were humans instead of countries, you might say their relationship status would be “It’s Complicated.” The three are geographical neighbors, and treat each other as such – they are cordial when they need to be, but behind closed doors are not…
Full Article CHINA, SOUTH KOREA, and JAPAN: To Face the Future, Respect the Past
WRITES TOM PLATE FROM LOS ANGELES IN HIS SYNDICATED ASIA COLUMN – ‘Ukraine Isn’t Armageddon.’ Now, how bold and direct is that?! This was the banner headline splashed over the most incisive journalism I have read on Vladimir Putin and the Crimea crisis. It led the April edition of Le Monde Diplomatique, the…
Full Article THE PLATE COLUMN: Russia in the Ukraine – Beyond Good and Evil