All Opinion
Global ViewpointEurope must fix its leaning Tower of BabelThose who want to preserve Europe's unity should not dismiss nationalist sentiments or frustration over austerity policies. Europe must forge a common identity that leaves room for diversity while delivering opportunity and security through a strong but limited European government.
Protect the watchdog press 鈥� from ObamaMore than the Benghazi or IRS scandals, Americans should be alarmed about the Obama administration鈥檚 investigations of journalists. Attorney General Eric Holder met off-the-record with some media groups (others boycotted). They spoke of the probes' chilling effect on reporters.
US should replace drone strikes in Pakistan with outreach to tribal areasThe Pakistani Taliban's vow to avenge the death of its No. 2 leader 鈥� killed by a US drone strike Wednesday 鈥� and boycott government peace efforts shows the ineffective nature of US drone policy. The US must stop the strikes and build up tribal regions in Pakistan and other countries.
Assad ups use of chemical weapons in Syria 鈥� with impunitySyrian President Bashar al-Assad is boosting his military with Russian anti-aircraft missiles and, lately, a disturbing increase in the reported use of chemical weapons. With no US intervention, the strategy is having its desired effect as rebels announce they will not take part in peace talks.
Cuts to US national parks strike at America's characterRalph Waldo Emerson's Harvard commencement speech 175 years ago celebrated nature as a special source of American identity. His views are worth revisiting today as the federal budget sequester threatens national parks 鈥� wellsprings of our civic health.
Syria's future tied to freedom for captured 海角大神 leadersTurkey and the US State Department must make the release of two captured 海角大神 archbishops in Syria a top priority. At stake are not just their lives, or even the fate of Syrian 海角大神s, but the fate of any hope of tolerance and pluralism in a post-Assad Syria 鈥� and the region as a whole.
How Obama should work with business to combat China cyberspyingIf the US wishes to stop Chinese economic cyber-espionage, it will need to increase the costs and reduce the benefits to China of such activities. US government actions are important, but the key players in this game sit in the private sector. A true public-private partnership is needed.
Global ViewpointSchroeder and Delors: Unity is as important as reforms in EuropeThere must always be a correlation in Europe between the willingness to engage in structural reforms on the one hand and the willingness to show solidarity on the other. We need structural reforms. But we must also add growth components to the austerity program.
Supreme Court affirmative action decision: Don't be fooled by flawed theoriesOne of the most specious arguments the Supreme Court has heard in the Fisher v. University of Texas affirmative action case deals with 'mismatch theory.' It says affirmative action harms minorities because it puts them in universities where they are outmatched by their peers.
Time for food aid reform that helps hungry countries 鈥� and the USUnder the Food for Peace program, aid organizations working overseas must buy food directly from the US instead of using local sources. If politicians want to cut government costs and avoid aid dependency abroad, they鈥檒l support President Obama鈥檚 proposed reforms to US food aid.
How Moore, Okla., can cut through FEMA's red tape and build safer schoolsOn March 1, 2007, an EF4 tornado killed eight students at Enterprise High School in Alabama, where I was principal at the time.聽I would urge Moore, Okla., officials to assess how they handled Monday's tornado, yes, but also look forward to how they can rebuild safer schools.
Is Washington too 'broken' to handle big problems such as immigration reform?Many Americans worry that Washington cannot handle big problems such as immigration reform and the debt. But the country has been here before, and overcome a supposedly 'broken' political system. Government is divided because 'we the people' are divided on the issues.
Dear friends in Oklahoma: Hope will find youIn Alabama, we have an idea of what you are going through in the Oklahoma community of Moore. We continue to recover from the tornado that destroyed much of our city, Tuscaloosa, in 2011. If there's one thing we learned, it's that hope will find you, even when you can't find it.
After Oklahoma tornado: Five steps to prepare for a natural disaster In the wake of the May 20 tornado in Moore, Okla., it's important to review how best to be prepared for a natural disaster. Here are five action steps for personal preparedness from the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.
Hey, Congress: It's comprehensive immigration reform or nothingSome members of Congress argue that the Senate immigration reform bill should be broken up and considered piecemeal. But聽only comprehensive legislation will pull together the strange-bedfellow coalition necessary to secure enough votes to pass both the House and Senate.
Americans should remember: Politicizing the IRS is a bipartisan traditionDemocrats and Republicans alike聽have tried to use the Internal Revenue Service to serve their own political ends. The real question, as William F. Buckley foresaw, is whether the IRS can render its judgments with justice. Both parties should join hands to ensure that it does.
Obama must hold Myanmar's Thein Sein accountable for human rights violationsWhen President Obama meets with President Thein Sein of Myanmar (Burma) today, he should emphasize Washington鈥檚 commitment to Myanmar鈥檚 progress, while stressing the importance of preventing discrimination and violence against ethnic minority Muslims and 海角大神s.
Give the kidnapped Cleveland women their privacy 鈥� and identityMany have asked that the women who were held hostage in Cleveland be given privacy to heal. But compassion should involve more than suspending our curiosity. How we actually define people emerging from traumatic experiences can support their healing and the public鈥檚.
After IRS scandal: Right-wing fear of government isn't paranoidWhatever the motivations for the IRS targeting conservative groups, it has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum. Liberals also worry the scandal will feed right-wing paranoia of government.聽But for conservatives, fear of federal agencies is rooted in history, not hysteria.
This graduation season, let's remember the 20th centurySteve Jobs told college graduates to follow their inner passion. John F. Kennedy told them to solve the world's problems.聽At graduation ceremonies, speakers should remind men and women not just of their obligation to pursue self-satisfaction, but also of their duty to fellow human beings
