In The News

The Korea Herald: Gloomy Outlook for Joint Olympics Team, With NK IOC Member’s Skepticism

Jung Min-kyung July 3, 2017
President of South Korea Moon Jae-in has been in office for two months and in terms of sports is fulfilling expectations to initiate a more cooperative tone in his country’s interactions with North Korea. Moon “wishes to restore inter-Korean dialogue through cross-border cooperation for the upcoming winter games,” reports Jung Min-kyung for the Korea Herald. The situation reflects a marked change...

Reconstruction of Chinese History for a Peaceful Rise

Suisheng Zhao June 13, 2017
China is rising and its leaders vow this rise will be peaceful. A shared history can be a motivating force, binding citizens together. “Some leaders, though, selectively use historical memories to serve political and strategic objectives,” explains Suisheng Zhao, professor and director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver...

People’s Daily Online: Foreigners, KFC and “Authentic” Chinese Food

June 12, 2017
Chinese restaurants can be found around the globe, and the cuisine has inspired dishes like General Tsao’s chicken. “The U.S. alone has around 40,000 Chinese restaurants, even more than the sum of McDonald's outlets and KFCs,” notes People’s Daily Online. “Now, business in China has become a main source of profit for KFC, which has started selling soy bean milk, Chinese-style breakfast...

Los Angeles Times: Muslim and Latino Groups Unite During Ramadan

Anh Do June 6, 2017
Activists are seeking to unite Muslim and Latino communities in Orange County, California, and joined in organizing an event to celebrate the Islamic holy month of Ramadan with Taco Trucks at Every Mosque. “Organizers said the idea is to demystify Islam through the sharing of food and to unite two groups, Muslims and Latinos, facing increasing discrimination in the Trump era,” reports Anh Do for...

BBC: Why Citizenship Is Now a Commodity

Katie Beck June 5, 2017
For more than two decades, governments have dangled citizenship in exchange for investments. “As more countries tighten their borders and paths to immigration, a new industry is working to bypass those restrictions – for a hefty fee,” reports BBC News. “The specifics of different investment citizenship programmes vary by country. They allow foreigners to invest in real-estate projects and...

Forbes: These Asian Countries Could Follow in Taiwan's LGBT Rights Footsteps

Ralph Jennings May 31, 2017
Taiwan’s Constitutional Court declared that same-sex marriage is part of the “people’s right to equality” in May and became the first place in Asia to legalize the practice. The island has a history of practicing progressive values, with the LGBT movement forming more than two decades ago as politicians attempted to build a more pluralistic society. “Taiwanese LGBT groups are wondering now who...

The Atlantic: My Family’s Slave

Alex Tizon May 23, 2017
Cultural traditions in one society can be crimes in another. Children raised with such traditions confront a dilemma as acceptance slowly transforms into questions and shame. Author Alex Tizon, now deceased, profiles a woman who had served his family without pay for more than 50 years. The uneducated worker was taken from the fields at age 12 and eventually given to Tizon’s mother by his...