would bring its relations with ASEAN up to the level of the four major powers -- the US, China, Japan and Russia. While such efforts are on the rise, we may still ask, what is exactly the Korean government’s vision and strategy toward ASEAN?

One sign of hope: Regular citizens coming out by the thousands in Charlottesville for a memorial service recently, and then in Boston to counter a march by hate groups.

The people are leading. It’s time now for the country’s leaders — all of its leaders — to follow them in the same unequivocal denunciation of fascism.

We cannot pretend that these politics are normal, that things are just a little bit out of kilter and will automatically correct. We must speak out. We must assert truth. We must force one another to be honest about the growing threats to our country.

Eighteen months ago, I wrote an opinion piece that warned of Trump’s tendencies toward authoritarianism and fascism. I was told, “Don’t be silly; don’t worry: He can’t win the nomination.”

“Don’t worry: He can’t get elected.”

“Don’t worry: Once he takes office, the weight of the presidency will bring him to

It is this economic injustice — for blacks and whites — that threatens to topple our country into populist authoritarianism, rage, and racist hatred. We must resist the president’s tilt toward fascism. But we must also correct the underlying economic inequity that has fueled the strong response to it.

myself included — enjoys unprecedented levels of economic prosperity. As long as the country is so sharply divided — with 1 percent of the population holding more wealth than the bottom 90-plus percent — the ties that bind all of us to the common good are far too fragile for stability.

America is terribly divided today, and the source of much of it is an economic injustice that has been growing for four decades. Well over half the country lives one paycheck away from some personal disaster that can bring destitution, while a tiny percentage —

Trump told a delegation from that country that he had faced “great pressure” because of the FBI inquiry and that because of his firing of director James Comey, “that’s taken off.”

Still, the most ominous aspect is this: Trump is not a cause; he is a symptom. If he were to leave the presidency, the forces he represents will not be gone.

Among the triggers for this investigation: Trump’s repeated avowals of admiration and support for a ruthless Russian dictator and his disregard for the rule of law in firing the head of the FBI, which had been investigating his connections to Russia.

The president is under a special prosecutor’s investigation into questions of collusion between his campaign and a Russian government committed to disrupting the 2016 presidential election.

ensure that these rights are accorded without regard to race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or identity. Those same early leaders enacted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to memorialize our liberties in American life and assert a rule of law that would protect them.

But this is not about partisan politics. It is not about Democrats or Republicans, or even about liberals and conservatives. It is about an existential threat to America and to the underlying values that led its earliest leaders to declare that “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are inalienable human rights. Slowly, all too slowly, America has moved to

When he leaves Washington to court his base at rallies around the country, he stirs his supporters in ways reminiscent of fascists from the past. His demagoguery, his threats to those who disagree, his support of those who disdain a democratic and diverse society, threaten our freedom.

The president has consistently vilified anyone who opposes him; he has disrespected and mocked Hispanics, African-Americans, Muslims, women and people with disabilities; now he is giving direct comfort and support to the Ku Klux Klan, the American Nazi Party, right-wing militias and white supremacist groups.

demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. It has been increasingly true since the days of his candidacy, as he has encouraged those forces in America that promote racism, ethnic hatred, violence and white supremacy.

Let’s be blunt about it: President Trump is inspiring fascism in America. And it is terribly important that we name it.

What he says, and what he does, is making this evident to most people, especially the fascists themselves. This is not just true since the terrible violence in the recent

If it really wants Chinese car companies to upgrade and develop a global profile, the government is first going to have to abandon the very industrial policies put in place to help them. What Chinese automakers need now aren’t subsidies or foreign acquisitions, but a healthy dose of the free market.

Look at Geely, which bought Volvo from Ford in 2010. The brand has since enjoyed a surprising comeback, with 2016 sales hitting an all-time high. Yet even so, Volvo remains a niche carmaker, with 534,332 cars sold. General Motors, by contrast, sold over 10 million vehicles last year.

Until these problems are addressed, foreign buyouts can only take China so far. The companies and brands available for purchase will likely be small chunks of bigger firms, or troubled nameplates. Chinese managers, who already lack international experience, will have an exceedingly tough time building these acquisitions into major contenders.

We know from historical experience that even large economies, such as the US, can sustain only a handful of car companies. Yet while consolidation is needed, “the fragmented production network and marketplace make it exceedingly difficult for any single Chinese company to emerge as a large player,” Crystal Chang, a lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley who has studied the industry, wrote in an email.