Diplomacy only encourages North Korea’s belligerence

Thanks to a new diplomatic deal, the nuclear stand-off with North Korea will allegedly end bloodlessly. In exchange for $400 million worth of aid and diplomatic concessions from the West, North Korea has promised to start disabling its nuclear facilities. This new arrangement is being celebrated as a levelheaded, practical, and win-win solution to the problem of the North Korean nuclear threat. [More]

Smoking law promotes healthy lifestyle

Since the anti-smoking law went into effect on Nov. 16, it has received mixed responses from the public over its effectiveness. [More]

A look at environmental justice in Hawai‘i

Before Western contact, native Hawaiians subsisted in the ahupua‘a, a valley bounded between two ridges. From the mountain top to the ocean floor, the ahupua‘a contained all the resources required for survival. [More]

A view of the Ko‘olau mountain range on the windward side of O‘ahu.

Photo by Jesse Szymanski

U.S. citizens subsidize climate change, destroy environment

Americans, accustomed to being in the center of diplomacy on the Middle East, might not notice a news item out of Jakarta, following a Jan. 31 meeting between Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and visiting Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. They should, said Richard Baker, special assistant to the president of the East-West Center and a former U.S. diplomat who served in Jakarta. [More]