A Sick Country and a Black Flag

Amid the coronavirus, human rights defenders need more protection

On May 1, I took up the mandate of the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights defenders (HRDs). As part of my new role, I have been...

Is ‘Soros’ Now the World’s Most Versatile, Dangerous Conspiracy Theory?

Trump is winning the political spin game

Donald Trump has somehow survived an overwhelming flood of political scandals, legal battles, accusations, the Russia investigation, impeachment,...

How the US and Afghanistan can jump-start talks with the Taliban

On May 23, the Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire to coincide with the Eid al-Fitr holiday. The Afghan government immediately announced its...

China’s decision to drop economic growth target is a blessing in disguise

Last Thursday, May 21, at the Two Sessions of the National People’s Congress and the CPPCC, Beijing announced that this year it was dropping its...

Gulf states push back against Islamophobia ‘imported’ from the India of Modi and the RSS

Social media users across the Gulf states, a region that is home to millions of Indian expatriates, have hit back at what they see as Islamophobia...

Bruno Labbadia is more than a firefighter at Hertha Berlin

Hertha Berlin's PR crises involving Jürgen Klinsmann and then Salomon Kalou already feel like a long time ago. Bruno Labbadia is inspiring a...

We Are Hong Kong

LONDON – In my final speech as Hong Kong’s governor on June 30, 1997, a few hours before I left the city on Britain’s royal yacht, I remarked...

Remembering my father's Biafra: The politics of erasing history

This is how my father remembered it. The year was 1966 and he, a bright and ambitious boy of 13 or 14 (no one could be sure because the European...

America cannot lecture Africans on human rights

Seated in the unenviable squalor of my modest, sparsely furnished living room, deep in the southern end of "shithole" Africa, as American President...

Back to too much oil?

London – For most of the oil industry’s earlier history its overarching problem was not shortage but too many producers and too much oil. Could it...

You think US cops need to be better armed? Here’s why full-on European-style riot control police would be a DISASTER in America

For the past several days, the world has watched in awe and horror as the City of Minneapolis, Minnesota, ceded control of the streets to bands of...

My Fellow Settlers Are Wrong to Oppose Trump’s Annexation Plan

Efrat mayor: To gain U.S. recognition, we settlers must compromise on our dreams for complete control of Judea and Samaria – or risk losing what...

There are coronavirus solutions for resource-poor countries, too

As the novel coronavirus moves through poorer parts of the world, many expect high infection rates. Cheek by jowl crowding, poverty, limited...

Biden's demeaning remarks should worry Democrats

By Carl Golden Not since Hillary Clinton described supporters of then-candidate Donald Trump as "a basket of deplorables" has a public official or...

The Pentecost miracle and the coronavirus curse

On the feast of Pentecost Christians commemorate the miracle of boundless communication, which gives people courage and enriches them. But in times...

White Supremacist Provocateurs Are Tipping U.S. Protests Into a Race War

In the George Floyd protests, white supremacists are using the same playbook as the race war accelerationists of the 1960s. But it’s coinciding...

China's disregard for democracy

Hong Kong security law violates 'one country, two systems' formula China has legislated a Hong Kong national security law, drawing international...

Truth or dare

Lawmaker should not hide behind privileges An activist-turned-lawmaker has failed to provide a clear explanation about allegations that she...

Is a Second Coronavirus Wave Hitting Israel? Warning Signs Are Certainly There

Infection rates are rising, but it is still unclear whether a second wave is on the way. But while there’s no need to close high schools or...

Na obzore nový Smer

Hoci prieskum katapultoval neexistujúcu stranu na druhé miesto, čím nová „Pellestrana“ úplne prekreslila politickú mapu Slovenska,...

Truths about Gwangju

By Donald Kirk Details about what happened at Gwangju during those terrible days from May 18 through May 27, 1980, remain elusive four decades...

Saving Han Myeong-sook

By Park Moo-jong On Aug. 25, 2015, about 150 people, including several lawmakers of the then opposition party, held a "ceremony" to see off a...

Tens of thousands of satellites planned for orbit

Space, that final frontier, could become very crowded very soon. There are an estimated 2,200 satellites orbiting the Earth at present, but...

Korea: race, racism, and the 'other'

By David Tizzard David Tizzard Korea's approach to multiculturalism is a paradox. The same multicultural policies and programs that have been...

Welcome arrest of accused Rwanda war criminal

By Arthur I. Cyr "Without justice, courage is weak," Benjamin Franklin wrote, and around the world, courage and justice are in evidence regarding...

12 pillars of peaceful Korean history

By Mark Peterson As I look back at my 10 plus articles arguing that we should look at the peaceful and stable tradition of Korea, it occurs to me...

The potential of the internet for public diplomacy in the age of COVID-19

A woman wearing a mask looks at her mobile phone amid social distancing measures to avoid the spread of COVID-19 in Myeongdong shopping district in...

Xi Jinping versus the world

Chinese President Xi Jinping applauds after voting on the draft resolution for the controversial national security law for Hong Kong during the...

What is security?

As the national death toll from COVID-19 in the United States climbs past 100,000, a cyclist passes a discarded face mask in front of the Lincoln...

Working in China

By Adam Borowski The world is divided into three groups of people: those who believe in eternal salvation or damnation after death, those who see...

Face of modern-day feminism in Seoul

By Andrea Plate "If I Had Your Face," Frances Cha's debut novel (Ballantine Books), tells the story of four young women struggling to succeed in...

Plain advice to son

By Kim Jeong-kyoo It's rainy. How are you today? I'm lingering over coffee, gazing at the raindrops gently beating on the windowpanes. The black...

Will Gulf states learn from success in handling pandemic?

By James M. Dorsey The economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic for Gulf states has done far more than play havoc with their revenue base and...

[VIEW] A letter to friends in China fighting against coronavirus

By Hwang Jae-ho Hwang Jae-ho. Difficulty knocks on the door out of nowhere. Adversity comes in many forms. We all bound to face hardships from...

Country club conservatives dodge defending liberty

By Michael Shannon Breitbart has an interesting interview with conservative Alabama Republican Rep. Mo Brooks, who believes China Flu lockdown...

Democracy doesn't work for black, working-class Americans, and these riots prove it

Lucy Parsons, born in Texas in 1851, was a working-class activist revolutionary and anarchist, whose heritage was African American, native American...

Americans' relationship with their constitution is BROKEN: Here is some marriage guidance to help them repair it

Have you ever noticed how some Americans have a nervous tick? Touch the right nerve and they involuntarily blurt out the words “US...

Hillary Clinton becomes US President at last! With Donald Trump’s help! Calm down, folks, it’s just the premise of a new novel

Author Curtis Sittenfeld says she doubts Hillary Clinton will read her book “and if she does, she won’t like it.” She’s right there, because I...

Armenia’s treasure worth more than gold

Reportage. A group of young people are living on Mount Amulsar to block the gold mining activities of a US multinational that have poisoned their...

Coronavirus hasn’t killed the global balance of power

Washington – Is the global balance of power passe after COVID-19? It’s easy to see why smart observers might think so. The pandemic has rendered...

We’re going on a staycation

London – In Whitstable, a British seaside town just over an hour’s drive from London, every day of the last two weeks has been like a busy...

The British Labour Party after Brexit

Only time will tell if the Labour party will cope with the post-Brexit challenges or spiral into a downward trend akin to other European...

Bearing Personal Responsibility

Kucapaca okolo štátnej pomoci

Medzi žiadateľmi je ešte priveľa tých, čo až teraz dostávajú financie za marec. Nehovoriac o tom, že je úplne bežné, že žiadosť...

Hong Kong is collateral damage in Trump's new trade war with China

Rest of Asia can expect to suffer too if US president pursues strategy