The recent Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development focused world attention on building the future we want. On the occasion of International Youth Day, we should remember that we have a very precious resource in providing for a sustainable future, namely our young people.Over 60 percent of the world’s youth live in Asia and the Pacific, which translates into more than 750 million young women and men aged 15 to 24 years. They represent a key asset for the countries of our regio

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi took a crucial step toward building his government last week with the appointment of Hesham Kandil as prime minister. One month into his term, Morsi has yet to consolidate authority. As he tries to strengthen civilian rule through effective governance, Egypt’s first democratically elected president would do well to learn from America’s vast experience with presidential transitions, beginning with three important lessons.First, he should avoid the “first 100 days”

The worst economy since the Great Depression and you might think at least one of the candidates would come up with a few big ideas for how to get us out of it.But you’d be wrong. Neither candidate wants to take any chances by offering any large, serious proposals. Both are banking instead on negative campaigns that convince voters the other guy would be worse.President Obama has apparently decided against advancing any bold ideas for what he’d do in the second term, even if he has a Congress tha

NEWPORT BEACH ― The conventional wisdom about the November presidential election in the United States is only partly correct. Yes, economic issues will play a large role in determining the outcome. But the next step in the argument ― that the winner of an increasingly ugly contest will have the luxury of pursuing significantly different policies from his opponent ― is much more uncertain.By the time the next presidential term starts in January 2013, and contrary to the current narratives advance

Last week, when Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra reaffirmed Bangkok’s support for a multibillion-dollar deep sea port in neighboring Myanmar, she was not just announcing another infrastructure project. Rather, she was trumpeting Thailand’s determination to extend its influence in the strategically positioned state at a time when major players such as India and China have similar ambitions.The Dawei port development on Myanmar’s southern Andaman coast is a key part of the impoverished coun

BERKELEY ― However bad you think the global economy is today in terms of the business cycle, that is only one lens through which to view the world. In terms of global life expectancy, total world wealth, the overall level of technology, growth prospects in emerging economies, and global income distribution, things look rather good, while on still other dimensions ― say, global warming or domestic income inequality and its effects on countries’ social solidarity ― they look bad.Even on the busine

NEW YORK ― The horror has become almost routine. This time, the massacre site was a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, where accused shooter James Holmes murdered and injured dozens of moviegoers. In 1999, the scene was nearby Columbine High School. By some estimates, there are more than 20 mass shootings per year in the United States. And always the same question: Why?When the U.S. is compared to the rest of the world, one reason becomes obvious: while America may not have more homicidally insa

AUSTIN, Texas ― “You’ve got mail.”There was a time, say about 1998 when the hit romantic comedy of the same name made its debut, that the phrase was cute. Email was a fast, special way to be connected. AOL’s ringy-dingy reminder was charming. Then email stopped being cute and special because everyone had it. Then it stopped being charming because it never stopped. Now we find ourselves stuck with the most ironic of unintended consequences of the once efficient email: Its vast inefficiency.The em

A speculative bubble is a social epidemic whose contagion is mediated by price movements. News of price increase enriches the early investors, creating word-of-mouth stories about their successes, which stir envy and interest. The excitement then lures more and more people into the market, which causes prices to increase further, attracting yet more people and fueling “new era” stories, and so on, in successive feedback loops as the bubble grows. After the bubble bursts, the same contagion fuels

Mitt Romney and I are competing in a new Olympic event that involves proffering unvarnished criticism of the Olympics themselves. We’re the Lochte and Phelps of this event ― appearing united when necessary and when it serves us both, and appearing divided when Mitt says something really stupid.Last week, I blamed cronyism for the awarding of the sole-source security contract for the entire Olympic Games to a company that failed to deliver, requiring the British military to step in at the last mi

LONDON ― I do not envy the current European leaders their task. Over the past 60 years, Europe has developed into the largest political union and biggest economic market the world has seen. To keep it is a huge responsibility. So I write with deep humility and respect for those called on to discharge that responsibility.This crisis is existential for Europe. The design flaw of the euro is now manifest. It was a project entirely right in principle ― to combine a single market with a single curren

Thanks to the Year of the Dragon baby boom, Taiwan will see a respite from the greying of its population. The latest figures from the Council for Economic Planning and Development delay the arrival of zero population growth from the earlier estimation of 2022 to between 2024 and 2027. Taiwan is estimated to officially become an aged society (with 14 percent of population over 65 years old) by 2018, one year later than previously estimated.With one of the lowest birth rates in the world, Taiwan h

Japan has fallen to 25th place in a world ranking of innovation ― down five places from 2011 ― according to a study conducted by INSEAD, an international graduate school and research institution concerned with innovation in countries around the world. Japan’s economy, still the third-largest in the world, continues to rest on past achievements rather than advancing toward a better future.While Japan ranked relatively highly in some sections of the study, Japan’s knowledge and technology output c

Market activity to promote the use of electronic books is picking up this summer. Efforts should be made to improve the environment for the spread of e-books so it can lead to further development of the culture of the printed word.Rakuten, Inc. a leading online shopping service, has begun marketing a low-cost electronic reader. U.S. online retailer Amazon.com, the largest operator in the market, will soon launch digital readers that can display Japanese. Meanwhile, more publishers are moving the

A respected British academic once took note of an ASEAN trait in the face of Chinese assertiveness ― it tended to back off.Operating on the principle that “discretion was the better part of valor,” the ASEAN way was to go silent rather than upset Beijing, Gerald Segal observed.Segal could well have been referring to ASEAN’s recent embarrassing failure to issue a joint communique after stumbling over how to deal with the South China Sea maritime disputes.But he was not. He was writing in 1996 abo

For an economy that’s growing at an anemic rate of 1.5 percent, you would think there would be more discussion of the U.S. housing market on the campaign trail. The sector has powered past recoveries and is responsible for as much as one-fifth of gross domestic product. Yet President Barack Obama has made little more than a passing reference to housing in his campaign, calling it a drag on the economy and recommending an expanded mortgage-refinancing program. Presumptive Republican nominee Mitt

WASHINGTON ― The first question to ask about the draconian anti-leaking legislation passed by the Senate intelligence committee last week is whether it applies uniformly to all branches of government that may disclose classified information unlawfully. And the answer is: Of course not. Members of Congress and their staffs are entirely exempted from the new rules that may require for others more polygraphs, more paperwork, and possible loss of pension benefits. White House and other executive bra

Premier Wen Jiabao’s call to open up the economy further to private investors is a reminder that we have a lot more to do to provide a level playing field for the private sector. Wen urged the country during Monday’s executive meeting of the State Council to fully implement the policies encouraging the private sector’s growth. Admittedly, the government has been increasingly aware of the importance of the private sector and has devised a series of policies to facilitate the growth of private ent

The power succession in North Korea has reached its culminating point. Kim Jong-il, who died seven months ago, left his youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as the successor but appointed a number of high-ranking officials to mentor him and help ensure a smooth transition. Now the training wheels are being removed and the young Kim is about to show the world who he really is and what he is capable of.After six months of training in the driver’s seat, Kim Jong-un has decided that he is mature enough to rul

On June 29, one year ago, the National Assembly passed the revision of the Special Adoption Law, which gave more rights to adoptees, better protection to birth mothers, and greater protection of children’s rights. The law will enter into full force on Aug. 5.What changes are taking effect next week? It is not possible to give a definitive because the Ministry of Health and Welfare is still finalizing the decree and ordinance for the law application. However, from the draft published in March, it