All From the Editors
CommentaryJustice delayed -- and delayed and delayedWhen pre-trial detention stretches on for weeks or months, a suspect's right to a "speedy and public trial" is undermined. In effect, a prison sentence is being served without the prisoner having been convicted.
CommentaryIs it Iran's leader -- or Iran?Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is known as "God's deputy on earth." He is Iran's ultimate powerbroker. Understanding what makes him tick is crucial to understanding Iran. But it isn't enough. You also have to understand Iran.
CommentaryManaging the 'water planet'For most of history, there were always new lands to discover, explore, and exploit. Resources like water were taken for granted. But an important shift has occurred as we've looked back at our planet from space: We've become more conscious of preserving our rare, blue-green island in the universe.
CommentaryOf bargains: grand and not so muchBargaining is a big part of life. It is how prices are set, business deals get made, and political differences are hashed out. Sometimes you get the advantage, sometimes not -- and often it's the bargain itself that's memorable.
CommentaryPhilanthropy unboundPhilanthropy is a word often associated with top hats and tote bags. But its original and essential meaning -- going back to the ancient Greeks -- is even more generous: It is about helping humanity make progress.
CommentaryWhat happens in a news drought?Throughout the United States, newspapers are downsizing. Whether or not you shed a tear for journalists, it's worth considering what happens in communities where no one is keeping watch on politicians, public officials, or city streets.
CommentaryElection 2012: the beautiful momentPolitics is messy, expensive, comical, infuriating, and often dispiriting -- especially after an interminable US presidential campaign. But voting itself ... that's the real point of democracy.
CommentaryWill the 'European dream' continue?Amid a protracted economic crisis, Europeans are unsure they want greater integration -- but rightly concerned about backsliding into the nationalistic divisions that long haunted the continent.
CommentaryThe Cuba crisis and the illusion of controlFifty years ago this week, the world stood on the brink of nuclear war. Looking back, two superpowers had boxed themselves into confrontation. Looking ahead, leaders must avoid that trap again with Iran and other critical issues.
CommentaryElection 2012: Choose a future, any futureIf you have diligently read the position papers, listened to the speeches, and watched the debates, by now you know a lot about both candidates for president. That's good citizenship -- but it doesn't necessarily mean the next four years will unfold the way you think.
CommentaryHow poor is poor? How rich is rich?Everyone from the US Census Bureau to the United Nations has a definition of poverty. A reasonable income is unquestionably important. But income alone doesn't determine whether someone is poor. Or rich.聽
CommentaryReading the Quran in a new wayLike the Bible, the Quran is filled with fiery passages and gentle ones. Some sentences contradict others. But a new way of reading the Muslim holy book -- based on an old way of storytelling -- might shed a very different light on its meaning.
CommentaryBalancing food, weather, and populationThe drought that has hit the United States and other grain-producing nations could be global warming or just a one-season aberration. But while weather fluctuates year to year, global population doesn't. And that means that feeding 9 billion mouths by 2050 will require unprecedented effort.
CommentaryYou can call me "A.I."Artificial intelligence may soon reach the point where it can answer questions that make it seem indistinguishable from human intelligence. But machines and humans are a long way from answering the most basic question of all: Where did intelligence itself come from?
CommentaryThe many forms of exploitationAcross the world, women, children, and men are forced or pressured into jobs that keep them in modern-day servitude. Some involve sexual exploitation. Millions more are central to the goods and services the developed world enjoys.- CommentaryA word about comments on CSMonitor.comWe've shifted our approach. Comments on articles aren't available on most articles. You can still contact us, though.
CommentaryWhy we work -- and keep workingHere are five reasons: (1) The paycheck. (2) Fulfillment. (3) Sociability. (4) Dignity. (5) The paycheck. And there are hundreds more as workers stay on the job well into their senior years.
CommentaryConvention watch: The speech's the thingBegun as a reform movement in the 19th-century United States, political conventions do little real party business today. Their one redeeming virtue? They are a showcase for political speech.
CommentaryTeachers who excel: A lesson from Miss SmootNothing is more important in K-12 education than the quality of a teacher. But how do we make great teachers? We could start with someone like Jane Smoot.
CommentaryAfter Aurora: the role of media violenceThe connection between violent images and violent acts is an age-old debate. Recent research appears to show the connection is real. So what's to be done? There's an age-old antidote.
