Opinion - The Korea Times

Is Putin main beneficiary of Draghi's exit?

By Imran Khalid The resignation of Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, after his fractured ruling alliance melted away due to infighting, is undoubtedly a major jolt for the political spectrum of this European country, which has been witnessing one of the world's longest periods of volatility in the postwar era ― 19 prime ministers in 33 years.Mario Draghi, the highly respected former European Central Bank chief, admired for his instrumental role in saving the single currency in the Eurozone crisis of 2012, certainly brought a totally new element of stability, maturity and calmness into Italian politics with his trade-mark tranquility and gravitas when tackling Italy's problems. Two kinds of reactions are being witnessed over Draghi's sudden departure: Inside the country, recent opinion polls suggest that the overwhelming majority of Italians want Draghi to stay in office to steer Italy through its economic and geopolitical challenges, while outside the country, Russian President Vladimir Putin is quite happy with the removal of Draghi from the scene which has paved the way for pro-

Aug 25, 2022By Imran Khalid

Is Putin main beneficiary of Draghi's exit?

Imran Khalid

New leadership in Philippines

By Imran Khalid With the ascension of Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the namesake son of an ousted dictator, as the Philippines' 17th president, which is perhaps one of the greatest political comebacks in recent history, the fabric of Philippine politics has finally completed the tectonic shift that had been rumbling under the surface for the last decade. Thirty six years ago, when an army-backed “People Power” rebellion forced his father to relinquish power and leave the country, nobody could have imagined that one day the Marcos family would be able to regain power ― and that too with a landslide victory. Not only has the Philippines gone “back to the future” with the arrival of Marcos Jr. at the helm of affairs, but it has also reinforced the already much-entrenched dynastic politics with the election of Sara Duterte, the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, as the vice president of the country. Now, the children of two former presidents are holding the country's the two most powerful seats. Both Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte joined hands in the electoral rac

Aug 8, 2022By Imran Khalid

Imran Khalid

Japan's quest to amend pacifist constitution

By Imran KhalidTwo events within the span of just three days have suddenly refueled a heated debate about the possibility of amendments in the pacifist constitution of Japan in the coming days. On July 8, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, and on July 10 in parliamentary elections for the upper house, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner Komeito won 70 out of 125 seats up for grabs ― raising their combined share in the 248-seat chamber to 146 ― far beyond a simple majority. Both these events have certainly given new impetus to the decade-old campaign initiated by Abe to transform the structure of the pacifist constitution that has been in place since 1947. After World War II, the pacifist constitution was promulgated that renounces Japan's ability to wage war and forbids it from maintaining “land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential.” This pacifism was further reinforced by the Yoshida doctrine, initiated by Japan's first postwar Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida, which strongly influenc

Jul 25, 2022By Imran Khalid

Imran Khalid

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Is Putin main beneficiary of Draghi's exit?

New leadership in Philippines

Japan's quest to amend pacifist constitution

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