All Opinion
Five ways the Republican National Convention can excite voters The images, themes, and sound bites generated at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., Aug. 27-30 will set the tone for the rest of the election season. Here are five suggestions the GOP can use at its convention to excite voters and chart a path to victory.
Republican references to 'real Americans' incite division and fearAmerica is changing in ways Sarah Palin's 'real Americans' don't like. As the US diversifies, to remain relevant, the GOP must abandon divisive language that Michelle Bachmann and others have used recently and instead embrace a more unifying message.
Iran's new quest for nuclear submarines: dangerous and needlessIran recently announced plans to develop nuclear-powered submarines, requiring enough highly enriched uranium for two nuclear weapons. Tehran's ambition seems to be more than just a bargaining chip. Upping the ante on its questionable nuclear program is dangerous and needless.
Pass a Violence Against Women Act that protects American Indian womenEighty-six percent of the perpetrators of sexual offenses against American Indian women are non-Indian, but聽tribal police have no authority to detain them. The House must pass a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that includes key protections for American Indian women.
NCAA crackdown shouldn't stop at Penn State: BCS uses students like gladiatorsThe Penn State scandal isn't the only injustice to plague college football. In fact, that damaging lack of transparency is endemic. The NCAA should continue to clean house by taking control of the Bowl Championship Series, which, driven by greed, uses college players like gladiators.听
People in Myanmar (Burma) must learn to 'think freedom'Whatever the military's motivation for allowing reforms聽in Burma (Myanmar), the people 鈥� led by Aung San Suu Kyi 鈥� are cautiously beginning to exercise their newfound freedom. But transitional democracies are notoriously unstable. People must learn how to think and act democratically.
Why it won't be a problem if Marissa Mayer stumblesYahoo! Inc. appointing Marissa Mayer as its new CEO is being hailed as a victory for women in technology, women business leaders, and even for mothers in the workplace. But it is not a signal that parity has been reached.
A letter to Aurora, from Virginia Tech: James Holmes does not define your cityYou and I are bound together by the ties of similar tragedy and survival.听It is easy to dwell on the horrendous events in our towns and to blame or hate. But such dwelling keeps us looking backward and can prevent our moving forward 鈥� as we must. I offer these suggestions.
What would 'President Romney' do about Syria?The same thing President Obama has been doing. Contrary to his condemnations of Obama's foreign policy, handling of the Syria crisis, and stance toward Bashar al-Assad, Romney would effectively have the same policy on Syria as Obama.
Five things international community must give Syria after Bashar al-Assad Transition in Syria after Bashar al-Assad will be impossible without constructive international support. From outsiders, Syria will need these five key things:
Four things Syria must do after Bashar al-Assad It鈥檚 not too early to consider the way forward for Syria after Bashar al-Assad. Examples in other countries show that a transition will be greatly aided if Syrians can do these four things:
Romney and Obama on foreign policy: short on specificsPresident Obama and Mitt Romney delivered foreign policy speeches to the VFW this week, but neither offered great detail on how they will deal with a fractious world. With Romney on a trip to Britain, Israel, and Poland, let's hope both candidates put聽tawdry domestic policy sniping on hold.
Global ViewpointWhat America's flawed democracy could learn from China's one-party ruleDemocracy has its problems. The world 鈥� especially the US 鈥� could learn from China's 'political meritocracy.' Its one party selects leaders based on ability and judgment. They balance the interests of an entire country 鈥� and the world, not just finicky voters or big donors.
America's way out of dependence on Pakistan: IranAmerica鈥檚 dependence on Pakistan is a key source of regional instability. The only way out is to find an efficient alternative supply route for NATO supplies into Afghanistan. The Chabahar Road through Iran provides that alternative 鈥� if Washington will consider its benefits.
Voter ID laws are inherently reasonable, not racist or RepublicanAnalogies between voter ID laws and Jim Crow poll taxes are absurd.听That pockets of citizens lack ID is a compelling argument for active voter registration drives, not damning attempts to curb fraud. Ensuring the integrity of our electoral process ought not to be a partisan issue.
Is a pro-Romney ad racist? Five questions to ask yourself Our Index of Racist Potential measures the degree that a political ad has the potential to evoke 鈥� consciously or unconsciously 鈥� voters鈥� stereotypical attitudes about people of color, regardless of the intent of the candidate or campaign team. To determine whether a political ad this presidential election season would score on the higher end (more racist) of our index, ask yourself these five sets of questions.
With Syria imploding, is Hezbollah next?Hezbollah鈥檚 loyalty to the brutal regime in Syria is costing it support and exacerbating divisions in Lebanon. Its message runs contrary to the Arab Spring. If a link is found between the militant group and the bus bombing of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria, that makes it look even weaker.
Global ViewpointReinventing the city: An interview with architect Rem Koolhaas'What I see more than anything is the inability of almost every political system to anticipate, mobilize, and take precautions for the future, even when it is obvious that cities will grow or shrink rapidly.' At the same time, 'The reinvention...of cities is taking place all over the world.'
The way forward in Syria after Bashar al-AssadYesterday's strategic bomb attack in Damascus shows it's not too soon to consider the way forward in Syria after the rule of Bashar al-Assad. Lessons from other countries teach that Syria and the international community will have to pull together for a successful transition.
A win for 'secularists' in Libya? It's not what you think.This week, so-called 'secularists' were declared official winners in Libya's parliamentary elections 鈥� and yet they support a constitutional place for Islamic sharia values. This seeming contradiction in Libya belies Western stereotypes about the incompatibility of Islam and democracy.
