Green sovereign wealth PARIS - At the end of 2011, sovereign-wealth funds' assets under management amounted to $3 trillion, following 237 direct investments worth $81 billion that year. Some experts even estimate SWFs' assets to be worth $6 trillion. This means that SWFs..
Europe's national wild cards DUBLIN - Europe's needs and Europeans' desires are at odds. At a time when strong, coordinated action is needed to stave off financial collapse in the European Union, the popular support that drove European integration over the last six decades is ..
Hugging a burning tree PRAGUE - We are all brought up to recycle paper to save trees. We get countless e-mail admonitions: Please consider the environment before printing. Indeed, environmentalism was born with a call to preserve the forests.
Korea: Kwangju after one year The following is an article on Korea David I. Steinberg sent to The Korea Times for publication in May, 1981, one year after the outbreak of the Kwangju (Gwangju) pro-democracy uprising. The article was unable to be published in Korea at the time b..
The flyer and the swimmer: my two heroes This is the very famous and revered Amelia Earhart and Duke Kahanamoku having what looks like a private chat about and over a pineapple. Somewhere on a porch in Honolulu. They were saying goodbye, but they do not know if it is for good or for a whi..
Korea and energy for peace As an advanced nation, South Korea is a bona fide member of the nuclear club, by which I mean the 31 nations with the ability to create nuclear power for civilian purposes.
Building resilience to disasters and economic crises Building resilience to multiple shocks is one of the most urgent development challenges facing Asia and the Pacific.
In defense of non-visionaries OXFORD - Many of the recent tributes for Margaret Thatcher following her death celebrated her as a "transformational" leader who brought about great changes. There were frequent references to her equally transformational American counterpart, Ronal..
World without America NEW YORK - Let me posit a radical idea: The most critical threat facing the United States now and for the foreseeable future is not a rising China, a reckless North Korea, a nuclear Iran, modern terrorism, or climate change. Although all of these c..
Constant battles OF COURSE human beings have always fought wars.
The erosion of Europe BERLIN - Just weeks ago, the worst of the financial crisis in Europe seemed to be over. Stability seemed to be returning. But appearances proved to be deceptive. A minor problem (at least in scale) like Cyprus, when combined with an almost unbeliev..
Global economic doldrums subdue Asian growth UNITED NATIONS - Asia-Pacific economies will see subdued growth in 2013 after last years sharp slowdown caused by external factors is the prognosis from a recent U.N. survey. Economic growth in the developing countries of Asia and the Pacifi..
Good Samaritan nation It was a very cold day in Seoul, 2 degrees Celsius. Cold, north wind blowing strong.
Can Korea help solve Asia's energy challenge? The Asian Development Bank recently warned that Asia is heading for a dangerous energy gap. The bottom line is that Asia's enormous energy appetite to fuel its breakneck economic growth carries with it, a lot of unpleasant consequences.
Immigration and Korea as advanced nation Immigration is an important issue for Koreas future as an advanced nation. Whether and to what extent South Koreans tolerate and embrace immigration implies something for how they will negotiate one important aspect of the eventual transition for..
Forward-looking policies for Asia and Pacific The recently-launched 2013 Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific of ESCAP is forecasting subdued growth of 6 percent for the region in 2013 - up from 5.6 percent in 2012. Although highest amongst regional growth rates, this is consider..
The battle for Burma Last month, as the anti-Muslim violence in Burma spread from Rakhine state in western Burma to the central Burmese city of Meiktila, Aung San Suu Kyi sat among the generals on the reviewing stand as the Burmese army marched past on Armed Forces Day..
