Seventy years have passed since the division of Korea and the Northern regime has now reached its third successor, Kim Jong-Un. Many believed that the young leader Kim Jong-Un would not be able to hold together the isolated, poverty stricken, and economically stagnated North Korea. Until last year, talks about an imminent reunification were prevalent in South Korea, attested by South Korean President Park Geun-hye’s emphasis on reunification in her 2014 New Year’s press conference.
Read MorePundits list South Korea’s close economic ties with China and need for China’s cooperation in dealing with North Korea as possible reasons for this unprecedented closeness. But another factor unrelated to the economy or security is likely prompting this intimacy—namely, the two countries’ strong sense of solidarity as victims of Japanese imperialism. Beginning in 2013, the tension between South Korea and Japan over unresolved historical controversies has risen, culminating in the suspension of dialogue between the highest-level leaders.
Read MoreMuch of the media frenzy surrounding the Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been a product of intense focus on the grotesque symptoms of the disease. The media has also fixated on the chaos that ensued in the most deeply affected countries. Reports have described hospitals overrun with Ebola patients, with other important aspects of medical caregiving such as maternal healthcare and AIDS treatment left unattended, and dead bodies abandoned out of fear of contamination in the streets of Freetown, Liberia. This coverage has unfortunately failed to call attention to the many factors that contributed to Ebola’s rapid spread, including the weak initial response to the disease.
Read MoreTen years ago, hardly anyone would have been able to predict that a new era of relations between Cuba and the United States would start with Netflix. And yet, last month’s expansion of the American on-demand streaming service into Cuba signified the first step of a brighter future between two old North American rivals. For the better part of the 20th century, the bitterly strained relations between Cuba and the United States constituted the prime regional rivalry in North America. The December 2014 normalization of relations between the two nations looks to usher in a new age of economic and diplomatic prosperity. Despite receiving conservative backlash for his actions, Barack Obama, by reestablishing diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States, has taken long overdue steps to bolster a potentially crucial regional ally.
Read MoreEvent post before spring break!
Read MoreHighlight of the week: The Political Concepts conference returns to Columbia University. Friday, March 6, 2015 - Saturday, March 7, 2015Jerome Greene Hall (Law School), Jerome Greene Annex
Read MoreYour weekly event post
Read MoreYour weekly events post.Stay warm!
Read MoreJenny Yeji Yoo explores reforms in North Korea.
Read MoreWeekly Events Post is back!
Read MoreThe optimal way to tackle the issue of water scarcity in California is not simply by pressuring consumers, but rather by enacting water restrictions on producers, particularly those in large-scale agriculture and energy production.
Read MoreThousands of protesters gathered in the Zocalo of Mexico City, chanting “Fue el Estado”: “It was the State.” As the ornate baroque wood of the Palace, witness to almost four centuries of Mexican politics, was consumed in flames, the protesters’ cries were vindicated. The image created by a few instigators legitimized the protesters’ chant by its dramatic and symbolic force: it seems obvious, almost intuitive: yes, it was the state.
Read MoreChinese participation in the Burmese economy—and civil conflict—at the people’s expense has delegitimized Beijing in the eyes of Burmese citizens. China has argued it is providing employment and crucial infrastructure to a truly underdeveloped region. However, ethnic minority activists are skeptical that the benefits of China’s economic activity in Burma will trickle down as far as officials claim.
Read MoreWhat doctrine constitutes Obama’s foreign policy thus far? What options are left to Obama in his final two years to complete foreign policy goals and strengthen American power abroad? And what will be Obama’s legacy in foreign policy?
Read MoreIt’s been more than one year after Edward Snowden leaked documents revealing broad government surveillance, and most Americans are no longer surprised to hear that their online activity can easily be monitored. Revelations about surveillance are no longer front-page news. But what are the practical ramifications and consequences of living in a surveillance-saturated society?
Read MoreEve Goldenberg, CC’17, a native New Yorker, came to Columbia with the dream of becoming a screenwriter. In her first semester, she enrolled in a formal acting class and once a week, took the subway downtown to continue her study of improv theater. By the spring of her freshman year, however, Goldenberg felt far away from her dream.
Read MoreYour Weekly Events Post
Read MoreYour weekly events post
Read MoreChina Rewrites Its Property Laws
Read MoreA Look at the Judicial Empathy Debate
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