Change is good when it is for the better. In the case of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) recent about-face on fans waving the national flag at international sport events, it is commendable that he will now stand up for the nation's dignity and demand respect for our spectators.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Kao Chi-ming 高啟明
During the recent Straits Cup basketball tournament in Hualien on Sept. 6, some spectators waved the national flag to express their support for the Taiwanese teams. Unfortunately, this was stopped by Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) staffers, who got into a heated argument with the crowd.

[ FULL STORY ]

By LaiI-chung 賴怡忠
For quite some time, Taiwan and the US have not seen eye to eye over the proposed referendum on Taiwan's application for UN membership under the name "Taiwan." The US has blamed Taiwan for being aggressive and not giving due consideration to the US' needs in the Iraq war and the war on terror. Taiwan, on the other hand, complains that it is precisely the US' preoccupation with those two wars that has caused it to neglect the survival crisis facing Taiwan. Trust between the two parties is at a low, and the US feels Taiwan's president has violated his "four noes" promise, while Taiwan feels the US keeps changing its expectations.

[ FULL STORY ]

Washington could go a long way toward lessening global antipathy toward it if it paid more attention to promoting international law, development and humanitarian issues
By Joseph Nye
The US is transfixed at present with the problem it has created for itself in Iraq, but the presidential candidates are also beginning to ask what principles should guide US foreign policy after Iraq. In my view, a focus on global public goods -- things everyone can consume without diminishing their availability to others -- could help the US reconcile its preponderant power with others' interests.

[ FULL STORY ]

By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad
At a checkpoint leading on to the airport highway in west Baghdad on Monday, a policeman blocked the traffic. Dressed in a blue checked-uniform, Kevlar helmet, a Kalashnikov slung on his shoulder and a whistle in his hand, the last button of his uniform was missing, exposing a hairy stomach that hung over his military belt.

[ FULL STORY ]

Some analysts say that the Japanese leader's abrupt departure is a setback for conservative, nationalist forces
By Harumi Ozawa
Shinzo Abe became Japanese prime minister a year ago vowing to build a "beautiful nation" but it was the familiar old problem of money scandals that precipitated his swift fall from grace.

[ FULL STORY ]

The US president praised Taiwan as an example of democratic development and as a leading US defense partner ("Bush lauds Taiwan's democratic society," Sept. 8, page 1) at the recent APEC meeting.

[ FULL STORY ]

Dear US President George W. Bush,

[ FULL STORY ]