Japan Focus, September 18, 2006 Introduction Access to food is a basic human right. For several decades, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) prided itself on meeting the food needs of its population, although it has little arable land. Like many socialist countries, North Korea emphasized this success—along with high literacy rates, an equitable… Continue reading North Korea and the International Politics of Famine
Racism versus Sexism in Japan John Feffer All the business journals are talking about the revival of the Japanese economy. For the last four years, the economy has been steadily growing. Toyota is hiring, consumers are spending, and the government of Junichiro Koizumi is consequently enjoying high approval ratings. Japan’s economic renaissance is… Continue reading Racism vs Sexism in Japan
The Contradictions of Kaesong John Feffer I admit that the issue of North Korea has scrambled my political compass. Ordinarily, I oppose nuclear power as an expensive, even dangerous source of energy. But I support civilian nuclear power plants in North Korea as part of a deal to end the current standoff. Usually I… Continue reading The Contradictions of Kaesong
Sovereignty Matters John Feffer It is a relatively poor country, but the people who live there are proud of their long history and rich culture. Aside from mining, there are few profitable enterprises, though recently casinos have begun to attract outsiders. Nevertheless, the country’s government values its independence and uniqueness. Even more important than… Continue reading Sovereignty Matters
Immigration Nation? John Feffer The fifteen Cubans thought they had made it to the United States. In early January, they sailed in a homemade boat from Cuba and reached an old bridge on the southern tip of Florida. According to the U.S. immigration policy known as “wet foot, dry foot,” Cubans who reach U.S.… Continue reading Immigration Nation
Cartoon Fundamentalists John Feffer The recent brouhaha over the Mohammed cartoons seems, on the surface, to pit liberals against fundamentalists. On the one side are the defenders of such liberal values as free speech and freedom of the press. On the other side are an intolerant bunch of extremists who refuse to budge an… Continue reading Cartoon Fundamentalists
FPIF, November 13, 2006
FPIF, September 15, 2006
Inter Press Service, November 8, 2006
Munhwa Ilbo, November 21, 2006
FPIF, October 10, 2006
Znet, January 9, 2006
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, August 6, 2006
Asia Times, August 1, 2006
FPIF, July 31, 2006
FPIF, July 24, 2006
Alternet, July 12, 2006
FPIF, June 30, 2006
The Bush administration has not attacked any countries recently. But in President George W. Bush’s first five years in office, the United States has established a dangerous precedent in international affairs. The attack on Afghanistan launched a war against not only a state (the Taliban-led government) but also a paramilitary organization (al-Qaida). The intervention into… Continue reading Axis of Intervention
Before the recent nuclear test and the famine of the mid-1990s, North Korea engaged in a form of public diplomacy. It promoted juche, its home-grown philosophy of self-reliance. Juche societies sprang up in dozens of countries around the world, especially in the global south where the rhetoric of self-reliance appealed to post-colonial sensibilities. At the… Continue reading All Talk
Imagine Iraq as a football game. It’s late in the fourth quarter. Coach George W. Bush is looking at a grim situation on the field. He has just told quarterback Don Rumsfeld to hit the showers, and now he is sending in the new boy, Bob Gates. Several other team members have been sidelined. The… Continue reading Political Football
The latest recruitment brochure from the Central Intelligence Agency, which beckons the uninitiated to “be a part of a mission that’s larger than all of us,” opens to reveal an image of the red-roofed entrance to Beijing’s Forbidden City. From an oversized portrait on the ancient wall, Chairman Mao and his Mona Lisa smile behold… Continue reading China: What’s the Big Mystery?
The HBO series Deadwood depicts a town on the American frontier where law is the exception rather than the rule. The inhabitants of this gold-mining town in the Dakota Territory in the 1870s rely on guns and intimidation and, if necessary, a little torture to secure their claims. Outside, in the wilderness, Indian tribes use… Continue reading Rule of Lawlessness
In his bid to appeal to a conservative base on the road to 2008, John McCain repeatedly urged last week that the United States send more troops to Iraq to get the job done. This was a common refrain during the Vietnam War, when McCain was a navy pilot. Top military officials complained that their… Continue reading Military Intelligence
Immediately after the 2004 elections, U.S. historian Garry Wills described the results as “the day the Enlightenment went out.” He was plainly worried about the impact of fundamentalism not only on the electorate but on Enlightenment values such as “critical intelligence, tolerance, respect for evidence, a regard for the secular sciences.” Wills, by the way,… Continue reading Enlightenment Returns
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change released in England last week—and named after the former World Bank economist Nicholas Stern—predicts a 20% cut in global economic activity if climate change continues unabated. Environmentalists have been arguing that global warming will eradicate species, ravage ecosystems, and lead ultimately to the “end of nature”… Continue reading Stern Warning
The Bush administration is getting a drubbing from domestic allies and adversaries alike for its policy in Iraq. Yesterday, The Washington Post declared October 2006 to be the likely tipping point as the public, the politicos, and the punditry have all concluded that U.S. military presence in Iraq is part of the problem, not part… Continue reading Not Just Iraq
George Bush is losing some of his best global buddies. Junichiro Koizumi stepped down last month as the Japanese prime minister, just in time to leave North Korea’s nuclear test in the hands of his successor, Shinzo Abe. Tony Blair will be shortly handing over the reins of the British government to Gordon Browne. And… Continue reading FOG Problems
Wisdom can be very powerful, but the powerful are rarely very wise. The United States is currently going down a well-worn path with its foreign policy. Previous empires have passed this way before, and their wreckage should be visible to the observant. James Fallows titled his book on the Iraq escapade Blind into Baghdad. But… Continue reading Clueless Empires
North Korea claims to have tested a nuclear weapon. Iran refuses to halt its uranium enrichment program. The non-proliferation regime teeters on the brink. Washington’s uncompromising tactics with both Tehran and Pyongyang have failed to achieve anything but the most radioactive results. When President Bush introduced the “axis of evil” of Iraq, Iran, and North… Continue reading Tehran or Pyongyang?