The following are editorial opinions from newspapers from around the world which may be of interest to Royal Gazette readers.

The Asahi Shimbun, Tokyo, on world hunger:

The United States will host a summit meeting in April on nuclear security. The gathering will discuss ways to prevent nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation, mainly by strengthening measures against theft and black market sales of nuclear fissionable materials that can be used to produce nuclear weapons.

The idea had its roots in President Barack Obama's landmark speech in Prague last April on nuclear weapons. While announcing his intent to seek "a world without nuclear weapons," he said that nuclear terrorism is "the most immediate and extreme threat to global security." ...

In November, following summit talks in Tokyo between Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama and Obama, the two leaders issued a joint statement in which they stressed the importance of bilateral cooperation on nuclear security. The policy should gain as much ground as possible.

Obama has expressed concern that if one nuclear device exploded in a major city such as New York, Paris or Tokyo, it could not only kill a large number of people but also throw the international community and the global economy into upheaval. His fundamental recognition that nuclear terrorism is a genuine threat cannot be understated. It is also correct to expedite measures to deal with the threat. We must spread this common recognition that prevention of nuclear terrorism is essential for the stability and prosperity in this age of globalization.

In Japan, there is concern about North Korea's nuclear program and China's nuclear strategy. They are, of course, serious matters, but Japan should at the same time grapple more with the U.S. concern about nuclear terrorism. It is time, as a key ally, for Japan to make every possible diplomatic effort to alleviate Washington's concern about the threat of nuclear terrorism.

The China Post, Taiwan, on U.S. boosting troop levels in Afghanistan:

The United States has been criticized over the years for acting as if it were the world's policeman. The U.S. has had a mixed experience with nation-building or rebuilding. The Marshall Plan and subsequent reconstruction efforts in Germany and other parts of Europe after World War II is credited by many as saving Europe from a decent into anarchy. But after years of success on the battlefield, hubris set in and the U.S. was forced to learn a very costly lesson about trying to remake nations in the quagmire of the Vietnam War. ...

Today, U.S. President Barack Obama is winding down operations in Iraq while quite possibly boosting troop levels in Afghanistan. Afghanistan is now being called Obama's war, but unless the entire international community realizes that this conflict is a global problem, it may be very difficult to bring even a semblance of normalcy to this troubled region. ...

Obama's political team may have stopped using the term "war on terror," but the reality is the U.S. military is trying to defeat Islamic extremists that are overwhelmingly responsible for inspiring the sorrow and carnage many nations of the world have suffered over the past decade.

China has been singled out for criticism as it has business and commercial interests in Afghanistan and the surrounding area, but is loath to actually join the fight against extremism. For political reasons, it's unlikely that China will be sending any troops anywhere soon, but every nation in the world needs to get in on this fight. Those who can send troops should do so. Others can contribute money or provide other assistance. America isn't perfect, but what's the rest of the world doing to help defeat extremism?