The Apec summit in Subic brings together the heads of 18 AsiaPacific states, except those of Hong Kong, which is represented by its finance minister, and Taiwan, by one of its top businessmen. Yet, Apec insists that it is a club of economies and not of governments. Therefore its agenda excludes politics. Its concerns are … Read more
Globalization is a process we cannot avoid. But globalism, a doctrine that presumes that everything global is superior or beneficial, is something we can and must shun. This useful distinction was proposed by the writer Peter Waterman, whom Ed de la Torre cites in a recent column. I think that if we keep this distinction … Read more
I first traveled abroad in 1969. My wife and I were on our way to England for graduate studies. At the old Manila International Airport, we were made to declare how much money we had with us, and to account for every dollar and traveler’s check we were bringing out of the country. The whole … Read more
BERLIN. Sunday mornings, like everywhere else, are slow days in Berlin. The city that stayed up all Saturday till four in the morning is just beginning to stir. But my guide is punctual as usual. And so at eight in the morning of an overcast Sunday, we make our way to the outskirts of this … Read more