One of the most powerful things about being multilingual is that it allows one to see a far more complex side of people -- and deromanticizes what would otherwise be rendered as exotic. American Institute in Taiwan Director Stephen Young, for example, is multilingual and so has the ability to observe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) or President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and quickly see beneath the surface of their frequently empty words, whether in person or in print. But the same cannot necessarily be said for other US officials.

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KMT Legislator Su Chi is a real smooth talker, no mistake. He can make things up and get away with it for years. But will he tell us where Elvis is these days? The possibilities are terrifying.
By Johnny Neihu 強尼內湖
THE SMELL OF baby vomit, soiled diapers and gripe ointment have been permeating the air of the office this week, as one of my colleagues recently became a father.

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By Cao Changching (曹長青)
When speaking about last Saturday's rally, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said that the government should not stir up trouble, and that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should use law and policy if they didn't want society to descend into chaos.

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The dream of EU economic integration is facing its toughest challenge since 1992, as protectionists in France and elsewhere try to protect their `national champion' firms
These are troubling times for the EU's top policymakers. Competition from China and India is on the rise, jobs remain in short supply and outrage in many Muslim countries over the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has strained Europe's once warm relations with the Islamic world.

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If France objects to the claim that it is having its economic cake and eating it, then it's doing little to convince otherwise
When French voters rejected the EU constitution last May, it was thought by many observers to be an anomaly -- a one-off act by voters afraid of losing cherished privileges in a land committed to an integrated Europe.

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Growing tensions between Brussels and key EU states over national economic interests are fast emerging as a major test of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's stance on the promotion of free markets in the 25-member bloc.

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By Michel Gourd
Unsurprisingly, my letter on Quebec independence (Letter, March 16, page 8) drew fire from Canadians. In these few lines, I want to answer James Clost's (Letters, March 20, page 8) and Gilles Chartrand's (Letters, March 18, page 8) comments on my text.

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