In the winter of 2016-2017, a neologism made its way in the Korean politics, the “Pompidou phenomenon.” Briefly put, this neologism is far-fetched and rather illogical. The so-called “truth” aspiring to hide behind splendid rhetoric easily reveals its true colors once the husk has been peeled off.　The “Pompidou phenomenon” refers to the victory of the French ruling party candidate, Pompidou, in the 1969 presidential elections held after De Gaulle offered his resignation in the wake of the “Revol

Decades from now, when historians look back on 2016, they’ll of course take note of the momentous votes on both sides of the Atlantic. But if they’re interested in symbolism, they might find that an even more profound turning point occurred over the English countryside in early December, when a little flying robot buzzed though the air, alighted on a lawn and gently deposited a package for a happy customer.　It was the first real-world drone delivery for Amazon.com. And it offered a bracing glimp

Here’s the one thing you need to do in 2017: You need to write everything down. Write down the great ideas you have in the middle of the night, the plots to novels, the blueprints for inventions, the obvious next steps for launching ourselves into fabulous careers and simultaneously solving the problems of the universe.　While most of these will not make sense in the morning, to have a record of them is both fascinating and hilarious.　And you never know: The 519th item might just contain precisel

Despite sloppy reporting that repeatedly said otherwise, often accompanied by Page 1 headlines, Donald Trump never called for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton’s emails. He specifically said any hacking would not have occurred if the Obama administration had not been so weak, implying that a Trump administration would have been strong and would have prevented it.　He had a point. President Barack Obama has been wimpy on hacking and other misdeeds by Russians, and they have kept coming at us until fi

It’s time for everyone to stock up on experts to turn to for guidance. I’ll recommend several political scientists who write publicly -- bloggers, tweeters, columnists -- to help explain the political system in 2017.　Julia Azari blogs at Mischiefs of Faction and elsewhere and tweets about the presidency, parties and plenty of other topics. I’ve linked to her often in my Early Returns newsletter (you do subscribe, right?) and I highlight her here especially because of her work on presidential man

One of the enduring mysteries of the fake-news epidemic is why it’s happening now, when it’s easier than ever for readers to fact-check stories with a few quick keystrokes. A Google search and a little common sense should be enough to cast doubt on stories that the Clintons are running a child sex ring from a pizza parlor, that Sharia law has been instituted in Florida or that CNN accidentally aired 30 minutes of pornography.　And yet, fake news was rampant in 2016. No, busloads of paid protester

Greetings and welcome to Rex Huppke’s third annual Surefire Guaranteed-Or-Your-Money-Back New Year’s Predictions.　As most of you know, I was born with the gift of precognition. (I knew that was going to make you roll your eyes.)　Granted, my past prognostications have been described as “pitiful” and “laughably inaccurate,” but critics tend to get hung up on silly details like facts and truth and the unnecessary trappings of reality.　Was I wrong when I predicted that marijuana would be legalized n

Many observers attribute the cause of the present political crisis in Korea to the clash between conservative and liberal forces. But the real cause of the crisis lies in the misuse and abuse of political authority, not to ideological conflict between the left and right. 　Therefore, the solution to the crisis should be looked for in the root cause of the former, not the latter, and this can be found not in a single individual, but in the entire political culture of Korea. The public authorities

American foreign policy is at a crossroads. The United States has been an expanding power since its start in 1789. It battled its way across North America in the 19th century and gained global dominance in the second half of the 20th. But now, facing China’s rise, India’s dynamism, Africa’s soaring populations and economic stirrings, Russia’s refusal to bend to its will, its own inability to control events in the Middle East, and Latin America’s determination to be free of its de facto hegemony,

Each December, China’s leaders meet to lay out their economic agenda for the next year. And each December, China-watchers pore over their every word, much like Kremlinologists during the Cold War. It bears remembering that these pronouncements are rarely predictive, and that the best sources of insight on China‘s economy are usually found elsewhere. Here are a few key points to keep in mind next year.　Watch the data, not the New Year’s resolutions.　In 2015, China‘s leaders were touting plans for

For movie moguls, it probably seemed like an irresistible idea: Pair a Hollywood star with China’s most famous director, add a preposterous story about monsters attacking the most recognizable Chinese landmark, and mix in $150 million to make the magic happen. The result was “The Great Wall,” the most expensive Hollywood-Chinese collaboration ever -- and a colossal cultural flop.　　Despite financial backing from China’s largest cinema operator, possibly the biggest marketing campaign in the count

Christmas, when you’re young, is the morning, the race down the stairs to the tree, the brief, stunned pause when eyes -- overwhelmed by blood-pumping excitement -- can’t quite process the presents and fattened stockings.　It’s unwrapping and unboxing and unfolding, putting batteries in and squeezing dolls and hardly believing that what you asked for -- written in a letter to the North Pole or whispered in the ear of a bearded elf at the mall -- materialized.　Christmas arrives, it departs, the da

Plenty of ink will be spilled in the coming days from critics anxious about Donald Trump’s secretary of state nominee’s ties with Russia — when ever-opportunistic Sen. Marco Rubio is on the list (a spot he reserved Sunday with the tweet, “Being a ‘friend of Vladimir’ is not an attribute I’m hoping for in a #SecretaryOfState”), you know it’s getting serious. But there’s another major reason for the US Senate to keep Exxon Mobil Corp. CEO Rex W. Tillerson out of Foggy Bottom.　　Exxon Mobil is curre

The fall of Aleppo is a human catastrophe. It’s also a demonstration of the perils of choosing the middle course in a military conflict. Sometimes it‘s possible to talk and fight at the same time. But in Syria, America’s decision to pursue a dual-track, halfway approach made the mayhem worse. 　A battered Secretary of State John Kerry made one more plea Thursday for a peaceful evacuation of what‘s left of Aleppo. At a State Department briefing, he used the strongest language to describe the situa

Perhaps we should be thankful this week for Donald Trump’s insincerity. In a breathtaking fortnight of flip-flopping, he has reversed many of his most reckless and damaging campaign positions. 　The new Trump professes sympathy for people and ideas he disdained during the “vicious” campaign. He now admires President Barack Obama, doesn’t want to harm (let alone lock up) Hillary Clinton, is waffling on climate change, and thinks waterboarding might not work. Maybe he’ll even decide that the Trans-

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, the battle for the soul of America has begun.　It is playing out in boardrooms high above New York City, in off-the-record conversations between the president-elect, news executives and prominent reporters and on-air personalities.　Two such meetings took place this week. The first was with broadcast news executives and reporters at Trump Tower, and the second was with executives, editors and reporters at the New York Times.　Trump

Donald Trump has made history as the first man with no government experience to reach the highest office in the land -- and as the least popular and most divisive candidate ever to do so. The burden is now on him to leave a mean-spirited campaign behind and demonstrate that he can bring people together to move the country forward on important issues.　His victory speech hit the right notes. After showing a graciousness toward Hillary Clinton that was lacking throughout the campaign, he said it wa

Dear progressive,　Like you, I couldn’t sleep much last night. My brain refused to shut down. It churned relentlessly, chewing on dark possibilities of what a President Trump will mean. A trade war with China that craters the US economy? An impulsive military strike in Syria? An economic crisis sparked by the Mexican wall? A secret Nixonian “enemies list” prosecuted by Attorney General Rudy Giuliani?　Much to worry about, yes. Hard not to be depressed and demoralized. But hold off on that Google s

Because Brexit isn’t risky enough, apparently, Britain’s Conservative government has decided to embark on another project fraught with potential for failure. For many years, the country has been arguing furiously about a big expansion of London’s Heathrow airport. Having once opposed the idea, the Tories say they are now in favor.　Prime Minister Theresa May is right: Heathrow needs another runway. But the government’s announcement settles nothing. Even now, no sensible person would bet on this e

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton may have opposed the Vietnam War in her youth, but her background should give serious pause to voters seeking to avoid another Vietnam.　Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump wants America out of the Middle East for essentially the same reason that John F. Kennedy wanted America out of Vietnam: In the long run, military intervention is a lost cause.　According to former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s memoir, “In Retrospect: The Trag