Showing 1 - 10 of 124
Japan's media has to account for its own failures
News, Published on 16/10/2023
» The recent downfalls in Japan of the Unification Church and J-pop agency Johnny & Associates seem to be, on the face of it, victories for justice: Two odious groups that used their outsized clout for years to cover up noxious acts have at last been hobbled, if not eliminated.
Without aid of whistleblowers, the West is lost
News, Published on 28/06/2023
» Earlier this month, CNN reported that a British court has denied WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange "permission to appeal an order to extradite him to the United States, where he faces criminal charges under the Espionage Act". Although Assange's legal team will continue to explore its options, the snare around his neck is clearly tightening. Time is not on his side. The US and British authorities who are pursuing him can afford to wait for any remaining public interest in his case to dwindle in the face of wars, climate change, anxiety about artificial intelligence, and other global issues.
Soft dictatorship threatens India's democracy
Oped, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 23/06/2023
» We're not surprised when religious zealots in some benighted part of the American heartland ban the teaching of evolution in the local school, but what could have possessed the national government of a grown-up country like India to do the same thing?
Thai diplomacy has come full circle
Oped, Kavi Chongkittavorn, Published on 18/04/2023
» After eight arduous years, Thai diplomacy has come full circle. With 26 days to go before the next general election on May 14, the international community is wondering whether there will be any change in the country's overall diplomatic outlook. Since the dark days leading up to the intervention in May 2014, Thailand has undertaken an extraordinary journey given the state in which the country was caught with its deteriorated standing in the global community. Critics varied in their assessments of Thai foreign policy under deep stress. Indeed, the long winding diplomatic road revealed both the strengths and weaknesses of strenuous efforts to protect national interests amid the competition of the great powers and in tackling the unavoidable ripple effects caused by an increasingly polarised world.
The hard-won benefits of soft diplomacy
Oped, Published on 10/12/2022
» The world seems like a calmer place after the G20 meeting in Bali last month. The question is why.
Leave race out of it
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 26/09/2022
» It's easy to get upset when the movie you've paid tickets for turns out to be not as good as you expected. It's also common to see people get mad when a film adaptation of their favourite novel doesn't do it justice, whether due to plot changes or miscast roles. I mean it's OK if you aren't happy and complain about it to your friends and family. However, don't you think it's a little overboard to go online and slam the movie on social media, or even join in with other angry netizens and start mocking and bullying the actor who portrays the role that you don't approve of?
Killing Darya Dugina: Ukraine own-goal?
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 25/08/2022
» 'Iam a political observer of the International Eurasianist Movement and an expert in international relations. In this capacity, I appear on Russian, Pakistani, Turkish, Chinese and Indian television channels. The situation in Ukraine is really an example of a clash of civilisations; it can be seen as a clash between globalist and Eurasian civilisation."
Double-edged sword of democratic hope
Oped, Published on 29/07/2022
» Thailand is not new to virulent exchanges of polemical opinions between supporters of opposing political factions on social media and beyond. However, the latest outcry from diehard fans of the newly elected Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt against unfavourable criticism, proves one thing -- Thais still have much to prove before calling themselves democratically reasonable interlocutors.
War narrative a fable not fit for the times
News, Gwynne Dyer, Published on 09/05/2022
» We were talking recently about how clever the Ukrainians had been to call the invading Russian troops "Orcs" even before all the atrocities in the Russian-occupied towns around Kyiv came to light. Then Tina said: "If Putin's troops are Orcs, then he must be Sauron."
Thai-Style Xmas
Guru, Pornchai Sereemongkonpol, Published on 24/12/2021
» Despite the fact that a majority of the Thai population claim to be Buddhists, they go all out to celebrate Jesus Christ's birthday every year. Even though they may not be aware that it's his birthday and Xmas isn't even an official holiday despite all the lights and Christmas trees that pop up across the country. I've gone down Bangkok Post's archive (Xmas pun intended) to present a few quirky and local twists on the worldwide holiday. While they may not be unique to Thailand, they are definitely memorable. Merry Christmas, everyone!