The regional status quo in Northeast Asia appears to have self-destructed over the last few years. North Korea has announced that it possesses nuclear weapons and, with its most recent test, may have kicked down the door to the nuclear club. Japan has already stepped out from under its “peace constitution,” and it is no… Continue reading China and the Uses of Uncertainty
North Korea’s decision to return to the negotiating table is a win-win-win situation, at least temporarily. The United States, China, and even North Korea gain from the announcement. However, the boost given to each country—a modest “October surprise” for the Bush administration, a diplomatic achievement for China, and a stronger negotiating position for North Korea—will… Continue reading North Korea Returns to the Negotiating Table
The United States and the Republic of Korea (ROK) have enjoyed a close alliance for more than a half century. When South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun met with George W. Bush in November 2005, an official White House statement summed up the relationship between the two countries: “The two leaders agreed that the alliance not… Continue reading American Apples, Korean Oranges
According to a popular joke in Cuba, recounted in Jon Lee Anderson’s recent New Yorker article, the elderly Fidel Castro receives the gift of a baby Galapagos tortoise. He turns it down on learning that the animals sometimes live for over 100 years. “That’s the problem with pets,” Castro says. “You get attached to them, and then… Continue reading The Dictator’s Dilemma
China has embarked on a vigorous policy of engagement with regional institutions in Asia. From the steppes of Central Asia to the resource-rich waters of Southeast Asia, Beijing has implemented its own version of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “good neighbor policy.” But this playing-well-with-others approach has presented China watchers with an intriguing riddle. Is China’s new… Continue reading Chinese Multilateralism or U.S. Bilateralism
Many foreign policy challenges lie ahead for Japan’s new prime minister, Shinzo Abe, but his most pressing concern is much closer at hand: North Korea, especially in the wake of its declaration of a nuclear test on Oct.9. Since then, Japan has been lobbying for strong United Nations-backed sanctions and implemented even stronger unilateral measures.… Continue reading North Korea Tops Abe’s Agenda
As the world’s most populous country and the fourth largest economy, China has undeniable global influence. Chinese President Hu Jintao’s meeting this week in Washington with U.S. President George W. Bush, their fifth in little over a year, further underscores Beijing’s central role on the global stage. China’s growing influence is felt perhaps most strongly… Continue reading China Turns Charm Offensive on Southeast Asia
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 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