Showing 1 - 10 of 28
MPs face uphill battle
Oped, Editorial, Published on 21/02/2025
» The latest move by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to summon 44 MPs of the now-dissolved Move Forward Party -- now rebranded as the People's Party -- over allegations of serious ethical violations might affect the role of civilian-elected lawmakers.
Australia's big experiment for social media
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 15/01/2025
» Late last year, Australia's parliament, reacting to concerns about the effect of social media on children's mental health, amended the Online Safety Act to require users to be at least 16 years old to open an account on social media platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and X. The amendment is expected to come into effect by the end of 2025.
Shift from elections to governance
Oped, Adam Nelson & Kristen Sample, Published on 01/10/2024
» With half of the global population having already voted or preparing to do so in 2024, the "year of elections" has had a profound impact on democracies worldwide. Now, as the year enters its final quarter, it is becoming increasingly apparent that 2025 will be an equally transformative "year of governance".
Thai foreign policy needs new rudder
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 27/09/2024
» Thailand's foreign policy posture and projection under Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa and the new government of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is off to a good start under severe structural constraints. Given the widespread consensus both at home and abroad that Thailand has fallen behind its peers over the past two decades, the imperative of regaining its international standing is undisputed. But doing so under what the foreign minister has outlined as a "neutral stance" under "non-alignment" among the great powers is moot and misguided. What Thai foreign policy needs is multi-alignments and omni-directionality under a new rudder.
'Olympic truce' for French political chaos?
Oped, John J Metzler, Published on 02/08/2024
» France is facing continuing political chaos in the wake of President Emmanuel Macron's vain and failed gambit in calling for unnecessary Legislative elections to counterbalance the expected but riveting results of the rightist surge in June's European Parliamentary voting.
Thailand's judiciary faces challenges
Oped, Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Published on 24/05/2024
» Thailand appears to be a country of 70 million, ultimately ruled by an unelected few. This sobering reality was on display when two connected groups of top generals seized power from democratically elected governments in September 2006 and May 2014. Unlike these blatant military coups over the past two decades, at issue now is the power and role of the judiciary. While Thailand has another democratically elected civilian government under Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, the question that needs to be asked is whether the country is effectively under judicial rule.
Does religious freedom trump animal welfare?
Oped, Peter Singer, Published on 16/03/2024
» Last month, the European Court of Human Rights decided a case, The Executive Committee of Muslims of Belgium and Others v. Belgium, that required balancing religious freedom and animal welfare.
UN condemns Iran's treatment of girls, women
Oped, John J. Metzler, Published on 15/03/2024
» The Iranian regime has been firmly condemned by a UN fact-finding mission investigating the unprovoked killing of Mahsa Amini two years ago, in an incident that set off nationwide protests. Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old student, according to a UN fact-finding mission, died in police custody after violating the Islamic Republic's strict "morality rules" requiring women to wear the headscarf.
Step towards cleaner air
Oped, Editorial, Published on 01/09/2023
» The Administrative Court on Wednesday ordered the Ministry of Industry to release data on PM2.5 air pollutants from the nation’s factories by the end of October. The verdict is good news for civic and environmental groups concerned about PM2.5 who have campaigned for the government to publicly release data on factory pollution from the Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR).
A Swiss answer to a global problem
Oped, Stephan Kyburz, Published on 10/04/2023
» Switzerland's direct democracy is powerful and well-known. But there are two pieces of it that I think are too obscure: the referendum, or "people's veto", and the inclusive consultation process that it has inspired over time.