All Opinion
Global ViewpointAmerica should not apologize for values that clash with hostile IslamIn an interview, 'Infidel' author Ayaan Hirsi Ali says violent protests against an anti-Islam video stem from a religion and culture with no room for criticism. 'Westerners should quit the moral relativist posturing and get down to the hard work of defending their values,' she says.
After anti-Islam video and Muslim riots, we are all ambassadorsAmbassadorship is no longer reserved for elites. In this era of digital interconnectedness, we are all called upon to use free speech to foster peace, not violence. To honor Ambassador Stevens, let us uphold that responsibility in our online 鈥� and offline 鈥� interactions.
Time to argue for Islam's humane view of blasphemyViolent protests over the video that insults the prophet Muhammad highlight a fundamentalist view of blasphemy. But this interpretation relies on only a handful of sources and ignores Islamic authorities with a far more humane view. Muslims should rediscover these Islamic thinkers.
Global ViewpointIn violence over anti-Muslim video, a new world disorderWelcome to our new world, where no one is in control 鈥� neither the West of its social media nor Arab rulers of their liberated subjects. This is a combustible mix that goes beyond the recent anti-Muslim video to the overall message of Western-shaped globalization.
Anti-Muslim video 鈥� one more reason for independent scholarship on the QuranInterest in the Quran has risen dramatically. Yet no independent association for Quranic study exists in the US 鈥� nothing like the Society of Biblical Literature, for instance. That will soon change, and as violent protests over an anti-Muslim video show, the need for scholarly insight is great.
Bill Clinton's arithmetic really endorses Mitt RomneyWhen Bill Clinton nominated President Obama at the Democratic National Convention last week, he emphasized cooperation and understanding arithmetic as essential to leadership. If you look at reality not rhetoric, you could say that Clinton was not so subtly endorsing Mitt Romney.
Anti-US attacks in Libya, Egypt, Yemen: Put security firstViolent attacks on US diplomatic posts in Libya, Egypt, Yemen, and elsewhere this week underscore a lesson taught repeatedly over the past decade 鈥� namely, that security is necessary to launch fledgling democracies emerging from autocratic states.
Harvard cheating scandal? It could be bad teaching.Several theories try to explain alleged cheating at Harvard University, but they omit the most obvious explanation: poor teaching. Students are more likely to cheat when they feel disengaged from a class. Universities cheat our kids by placing a low premium on teaching.
US must actively work for regime change in IranAs sanctions take hold, Iranians are more dissatisfied with their government than ever. The time is right for the US and other democracies to actively support freedom seeking Iranians and regime change. That would also solve the crisis over Iran's nuclear program.
Time to shift out of crisis mode, EuropeTomorrow, Dutch elections and the German Constitutional Court's decision on the eurozone bailout fund have the potential to shake up the plan for Europe's debt crisis 鈥� again. Europe must shift away from piecemeal, stopgap measures and set the framework for a true banking union.
Why I miss Ross Perot: Mitt Romney and Barack Obama ads are full of outright liesMitt Romney and President Obama are taking a break today from negative campaigning in honor of Sept. 11. But that doesn't change the outright lies dominating political ads this season. We need a viable third party聽to help keep these two candidates and their super PACs honest.
After the confetti, Obama faces a reality checkVoters still need hope and change. But it is much harder for Obama to justify four more years, given historic numbers of Americans living in poverty, record high food-stamp use, and sluggish job growth. Last night, the president only partly succeeded in pointing the way ahead.
Obama speech: Despite foreign policy successes, a need for the big viewIn his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, President Obama pointed to foreign policy successes, such as killing Osama bin Laden. But he and GOP nominee Mitt Romney still need to lay out a vision for a changing world. US influence depends on its competitiveness.
Not true, Mitt Romney: History shows business experience doesn't make a good presidentMitt Romney has derided President Obama for lacking the business experience he claimed as 'essential to his task.' That's a popular GOP message, but it's not true. America's best-rated presidents weren't businessmen, and those with the most business success rank among the worst.
Obamacare champions personal responsibility. The states that hate it don't.Bill Clinton rightly defended Obamacare at the Democratic National Convention. Mitt Romney and the GOP say the law neglects personal responsibility, but the opposite is true. Plus, states that voted against the law exhibit the least personal responsibility in health behaviors.
Defenders of the 'Chinese way' are off the markHillary Rodham Clinton's insistence on a democratic approach to controversies involving China has brought out similarly insistent statements from defenders of the 'Chinese way.' They point to flaws of democracy while touting China's special Confucian values. This is dangerous thinking.
China territorial disputes: a warning in the history of Imperial JapanThe emerging Japan of the 1920s and 鈥�30s, like today鈥檚 China, was steeped in historic resentment of the West鈥檚 forcible imposition of commercial and cultural influence. Both countries set about building military capabilities commensurate with their new economic prowess.
An Israeli strike won鈥檛 delay Iran鈥檚 nuclear weapons program. It will start it.In spite of the hype, there is no definitive evidence Iran is working to develop a nuclear weapon. A new study suggests that the one thing that could launch an Iranian drive to weaponize, however, would be an Israeli strike.
6 things Obama must do at the Democratic National Convention Many American voters will view the 2012 election as a referendum on the Obama presidency, so party leaders need to be ready with their defense. Here are six things Democrats and Obama can do at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. this week if they want to secure victory over Mitt Romney and the GOP in November.
After Mitt Romney's speech, voters may still ask: Can we trust him?Mitt Romney鈥檚 acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention last night was a tepid mix of boilerplate and biography, vague on policy, economical with the truth, and without a memorable, soaring line. It reflected all of the problems that have bedeviled Romney from the outset.
