[Daniel DePetris] Europe debates the bomb

Last weekend, Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to Germany for the annual Munich Security Conference, where he delivered a speech that was both reassuring to the European dignitaries in the audience and nerve-wracking because of its references to the kind of MAGA culture-inspired war themes that Europe generally shivers at. After the remarks, European leaders were left obsessing about the same question they came in with: Is the United States still committed to Europe’s defense? Ordinarily,

Feb. 23, 2026

[Robert J. Fouser] Japan’s conservative landslide

The recent general election in Japan resulted in a historic landslide victory for the Liberal Democratic Party. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called the snap election in a bid to strengthen her majority in the House of Representatives, the powerful lower house of the Diet. The landslide gave the LDP 316 out of 465 seats, giving the LDP a two-thirds supermajority in its own right for the first time in history. This allows the party to override an upper-house veto of a bill. The Japan Innovation P

Feb. 20, 2026

[Man-Ki Kim] Data governance, not diplomacy

If millions of American consumers had been affected, US regulators would treat it as a governance failure requiring transparent accountability. A massive data breach affecting millions of users is not a diplomatic issue. It is a test of accountability, governance and consumer trust. How would American consumers react if a major e-commerce platform announced that “a former employee accessed basic user data from approximately 33 million customer accounts using a stolen security key”? In South Kore

Feb. 19, 2026

[Wang Son-taek] Olympic spirit in a disruptive world

The Olympic Games are a global gathering where humankind competes fiercely, yet also shares friendship and confirms that we are one. During the games, people experience moments of profound emotion and are reminded of our shared humanity. Last week at the Livigno Snow Park in Italy, we once again witnessed human drama that went far beyond a contest for medals. The women’s snowboard halfpipe final revealed courage, determination, maturity and grace. In three distinct scenes, it reminded us what th

Feb. 19, 2026

[Helena Oh] Stablecoins: Who are they really for?

Imagine next year’s Lunar New Year, when red envelopes are replaced by digital money. Only when a payment system can be used without explanation — by children and seniors, migrants and small merchants alike — does a stablecoin truly become everyday money. There is a familiar scene every Lunar New Year. Grandparents give cash to their grandchildren; some give it to nieces and nephews. The children receive money they can use immediately. But what about next year? Will those red envelopes be replac

Feb. 13, 2026

[Lee Byung-jong] Korea's Demilitarized Zone

Korea's Demilitarized Zone is supposed to be a point of confrontation between South Korea and North Korea. Increasingly, however, it is becoming a flash point between South Korea and the United States — the blood allies forged through the Korean War. South Korea wants a greater say in its management, while the US insists on maintaining full control of the border as mandated by the 1953 Armistice Agreement. For Seoul, the issue is one of national pride and state sovereignty; for Washington, it is

Feb. 13, 2026

[Taniguchi Tomohiko] Takaichi’s bet on transformation

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has just scored an unprecedented victory in the country’s general election. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which she leads, won 316 seats in the 465-member House of Representatives (the Diet’s lower house), up sharply from 198. The combined strength of two parties that had merged hastily — despite their fundamentally opposing platforms — in an effort to bring Takaichi down fell from 167 seats to just 49. The LDP, which celebrated its 70th anniversary

Feb. 12, 2026

[Wang Son-taek] Strategic communication for a whole-of-nation diplomacy

South Korea is facing a moment that demands a fundamental rethinking of how diplomacy is conducted. The sweeping and aggressive external pressure generated by US President Donald Trump is not merely a series of bilateral trade disputes or security disagreements. It constitutes a multidimensional national challenge that simultaneously affects trade, industrial policy, fiscal stability, security and alliance management. The challenges South Korea faces, however, do not stem only from President Tru

Feb. 12, 2026

[Benjamin A. Engel] Korea needs to reevaluate relationship with a changed US

To say that the America of today is not the America of the late 20th century is not a bold statement. The relative power decline of the US has been noted by many observers for several decades. But today’s America is not just relatively less powerful compared to other nations; the US today is on a course to politically implode. Since Korea’s democratization in 1987, the alliance between the US and South Korea has proudly been grounded in the shared values of democracy and market capitalism. Neith

Feb. 12, 2026

[Kim Seong-kon] Schadenfreude and comparison with others

They say everyone loves a bit of “schadenfreude.” According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, schadenfreude means “pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.” Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary similarly defines the term as “a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people.” Since animals do not take pleasure in other animals’ misfortune, schadenfreude is a uniquely human trait. It is truly a shame that humans are inferior to a

Feb. 11, 2026

[Gianluca Benigno] The Digital yuan and the new geography of monetary power

For much of the past half-century, the logic of international money seemed straightforward. A currency could only play a global role if it was freely convertible -- easy to exchange across borders, usable for investment, and backed by deep, open financial markets. That is how the dollar became dominant and why its position has long appeared unassailable. China’s digital yuan might test that assumption. Beijing is not rushing to dismantle capital controls or to open its financial system on Wester

Feb. 11, 2026

[Bae Su-kyeong] Wim Wenders’ cinema of being here

Dappled sunlight through the leaves. The texture of the newsprint against my fingers as I pick up the morning paper. Taking a seat at an empty cafe table, greeted with quiet warmth. The touch of the cup against my lips. Coffee, warm or cold, sliding down my throat. Late winter, camellia blossoms falling whole with a soft, heavy thud, as if the flower has decided, all at once, to return to the earth. Soil beneath my feet on a walk. The earthy scent rising from damp ground after an early summer ra

Feb. 10, 2026

[Lee Kyong-hee] Kim Koo’s wishes for a unified fatherland

UNESCO’s designation of 2026 to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Kim Koo evokes both joy and regret. The intent behind the designation is clear, given the organization’s mandate and Kim’s enduring advocacy of culture as a force that brings happiness and fosters love and peace for humanity. It is also timely: Korean popular culture today enjoys unprecedented global attention. Regret arises from a sobering realization. Nearly eight decades after Kim fell to four gunshots fired by an alle

Feb. 10, 2026

[Lim Woong] Don’t automate the apprenticeship

Lately, in the quiet corridors of academia, I’ve sensed a small but telling drift: a mix of fatigue and a diminishing sense of duty when it comes to training graduate students. Why spend long hours walking a doctoral student through rough drafts and ham-handed analysis when an AI tool can clean data and produce analyses with unnerving speed — no hassle to arrange meetings or bruised student egos to mend? That mood in universities is a microcosm of a much larger shift. Outside the ivory tower, co

Feb. 10, 2026

[Tsutomu Watanabe] Japan’s fifth year of inflation: Why wage growth matters more than prices

After nearly three decades of what may be described as “chronic deflation,” Japan finally entered an inflationary phase in the spring of 2022. Prices and wages, which had remained virtually unchanged since the mid-1990s, began to rise. This year marks the fifth year of that transition. While the shift is historically significant, the more important question is whether Japan can complete the move toward a genuinely normal economic environment. At first glance, this shift might appear to be the lo

Feb. 9, 2026