For some people, ethical diplomacy is an oxymoron, a self-contradicting idea. Foreign policy, of which diplomacy is but an instrument, is supposed to be driven by the self-interest of nations, not by any notion of what is good for the world or for humanity. Accordingly, no one should be surprised or find offense in the … Read more
WikiLeaks is digital guerilla struggle in its most lethal form. It aims to fight those who dominate and oppress the world by showing exactly how they operate. Its one and only weapon is information. Its sole technique is disclosure. The only ideology it professes is truth and its associated virtues: transparency, democracy, freedom of speech, … Read more
Ang Nobyembre 30, kapistahan ni San Andres, ay ipinagdiriwang tauntaon bilang Araw ng mga Bayani o “National Heroes Day.” “It is not,” sabi ni Carmen Guerrero Nakpil. “It is the day sacred only to one hero, the one called Andres who had guts and gumption like no other.” Kinilala siyang “Ama ng Himagsikan” sapagkat sa … Read more
The arguments against allowing the mass media, particularly television, to do live reports of courtroom proceedings are well understood. Live reports of testimonies and material evidence, unfiltered by legal norms of admissibility, may lead the public to prejudge a case. The sheer presence of television cameras inside the courtroom can affect the flow of the … Read more
Responding to a petition filed by affected residents, Chief Justice Renato Corona the other day issued a “Writ of Kalikasan” requiring the owners of a leaking petroleum pipeline to respond to concerns about the effects of the leak on the public’s health and the environment. It is the first time such a writ has been … Read more
There’s a theory in the study of social relationships that became quite popular in the 1960s. It was called “dramaturgical sociology.” Its author, Erving Goffman, adopted the Shakespearean insight that “all the world’s a stage,” and worked out a cool set of concepts that view human actions as sequences in the elaborate art of impression … Read more
Choosing a president for the University of thePhilippines, the country’s national university, is a complex process. The UP Charter provides that the president of UP is to be chosen by its Board of Regents. But, many assume that the regents’ vote merely formalizes a choice made by the president in Malacanang. The general public regards … Read more
When families are mired in poverty, it’s the children – in all their innocence – who become the principal victims. Their future is at once compromised. They grow up without proper nourishment, their young bodies battered by disease and parasites against which they have little protection. Their schooling, even if free, becomes a haphazard experience, … Read more
We cannot question the right of governments to warn their citizens of the dangers they may face when they travel to particular places abroad. Indeed, the failure to warn, especially when warranted, makes a government vulnerable to possible class suits by their citizens. But, if these governments are our friends, then the safety of their … Read more
When Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008 after a stunning electoral campaign, the tidal wave of optimism this sent throughout the United States and the rest of the world completely eclipsed the financial crisis whose dimensions were only then beginning to be known. I remember saying how lucky America is to have an intelligent … Read more