All Commentaries

After Election, Seoul Braces for Environmental Inaction
An estimated 17,000 people die every year in South Korea from air-pollution-related illnesses. But this top-priority issue was conspicuously absent from the campaign manifesto of the newly elected mayor of Seoul. The death of former mayor Park Won-soon in 2020...

US Choosing Wrong Side in India
The Biden administration is ignoring protest movements in India to support a right-wing nationalist government against China.

International Law Uncanceled
The Biden administration lifted sanctions against the International Criminal Court. It’s not enough.

If Impoverished Countries Can Host Millions of Refugees, the U.S. Can Welcome a Few Thousand
The factors that drive displacement are often complex, but welcoming refugees isn’t.

Japan’s Approach to Myanmar: Diplomatic Leadership or Business as Usual?
Are sanctions or quiet engagement the best method of restoring democracy in the Southeast Asian country?

Is the Long War Finally Ending?
Withdrawing several thousand U.S. troops from Afghanistan is just the tip of the iceberg.

The U.S. War on Drugs is Driving the Displacement Crisis
Why are desperate refugees turning up on the U.S. border? Because we have offloaded the costs of the drug war on Latin America.

The U.S. Joins the ‘Rules-Based World’ on Afghanistan
At long last, the U.S. is turning to legitimate, multilateral diplomacy to end America’s longest war.

As Rich Nations Protect Corporate Patents, the Global Vaccine Divide is Widening
The highest income countries have gotten over half of global vaccine doses. The poorest countries have gotten just 0.1 percent.

How Biden Looks at the World
The Biden administration’s approach of “multilateral restoration” has many virtues compared to the last four years of MAGA. But it has considerable shortcomings as well.