"Arabs and Israelis have a real tendency to get caught up in their private tribal worlds, in which all their fantasies and all their martyrs and all their dead ancestors begin to define the present. This is dangerous because in the world of fantasy each side believes that it can have it all and that...

"We take, and must continue to take, morally hazardous actions to preserve our civilization. We must exercise our power. But we ought neither to believe that a nation is capable of perfect disinterestedness in its exercise, nor become complacent about particular degrees of interest and passion which corrupt the justice by which the exercise of...

"The most powerful societies are still in the West. You'd be amazed at the damage that simple decisions in the West can make. For example, if you look at trade, a new regulation of bananas can kill an entire industry. A new regulation of apparel can deprive thousands of their jobs. One of the most...

"As Bokonon says: 'Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.'" --Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle (1963)

The Ironic Rise of Asia's Abe Lincoln By Rolf Potts South Korean president Kim Dae-jung received a hero's welcome from his American hosts during his recent state visit to Washington. Politicians and journalists alike made reference to Kim's dissident days — his 10 years as an exile, his six years in Korean prisons, the five...

In Korea: 'Ich Bin Ein Sidewalker' By Rolf Potts U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen recently called the Korean peninsula "one of the dangerous places on earth." Considering that I live on the very tail-bone of that peninsula, I should probably be worried. I'm not. After all, South Korea is building sidewalks. To fully appreciate the...