All The Monitor's View
A lesson from the Sears bankruptcyThe retailer largely defined an identity for Americans as consumers while not investing enough in local communities that thrive on the social bonding of local commerce.
Better alerts to feed a hungry worldTo end famine by 2030, more nations should use artificial intelligence to track data from areas in a drought or a conflict zone.
Brazil alters a 'destiny' of corruptionThe Oct. 7 election not only ousted many corrupt incumbents, it showed Brazilians reject a presumed 鈥榗ulture of corruption鈥� in favor of equality before the law and clean governance.
Why Apollo missions still inspireThe 50th anniversary of the first moon mission and a new movie on Neil Armstrong are good reasons to recall how this cosmic venture lifted humanity.
A Nobel for ennobling ingenuityPaul Romer, a winner of this year鈥檚 Nobel Prize for economics, showed how societies that manage a sustaining flow of new ideas can sustain long-term economic growth.
Dashing myths about wartime rapeThis year鈥檚 Nobel Peace Prize, awarded to two global activists against the use of rape as a tool of war, will add to a quarter century of change aimed at relegating such sexual violence to history.
Britain鈥檚 nudge on screen time for kidsAs studies pile up about the effects of social media on young people, Britain plans to issue 鈥榞uidance鈥� for parents about screen time for their children. The advice needs to balance caution against the benefits of digital devices.
Indonesia鈥檚 gift-horse response to post-tsunami aidDespite a giant disaster in Sulawesi, Indonesia was long in accepting outside aid. Its delay went against a global trend toward ensuring a right to life in natural disasters and international cooperation.
Amazon sets a high bar on wagesIts new $15 minimum wage and its lobbying for a higher federal minimum wage could inspire other companies to see a grander purpose of investing in the well-being of workers.
A trade accord that can mend North American tiesA replacement for NAFTA has the potential to fix trade problems as well as the torn ties between the US and its two important neighbors, Canada and Mexico.
The two Koreas eye a test zone for peaceA little-noticed agreement could create trust for talks on nuclear weapons by first lowering the risk of war along the border.
Brazil鈥檚 WhatsApp election campaignThe Oct. 7 election is a test case of what happens when citizens use social media to take charge of campaign information.
China鈥檚 faithful, under siege, can shine a lightAs the Communist Party cracks down on religion, the faithful can find the best response in their teachings.
Saving Venezuela with the long arm of the lawFive Latin American countries have asked an international court to prosecute Venezuelan officials for crimes against humanity. Such neighborly concern is a new norm in global affairs.
The key to recovery from a sports scandalOne big difference between Russia鈥檚 doping scandal and the sex abuse of American female gymnasts: contrition in their governing institutions.
Green light for reform of UN鈥檚 blue helmetsAs top leaders gather at the United Nations, they must back reform of UN peacekeepers in order to prevent abuses and assure better performance in new types of conflicts.聽
The prospect of no people living in extreme povertyFewer than 10 percent of the world鈥檚 people now live on less than $1.90 a day. As such progress shifts the attitude of the remaining poor, the rate could more easily get to zero.
An African model for ethnic reconciliation?Ethiopia鈥檚 new leader has quickly begun democratic reforms but none will mean more than reconciling the country鈥檚 ethnic groups. Recent violence shows the urgency to develop a civic identity that he says starts with forgiveness.
The freedom driving North Korea to the tableThe latest North-South summit is yet another test on whether the Kim regime feels pressure from its people聽to further embrace a market economy in return for giving up its nuclear arsenal.
Amazon鈥檚 Bezos clicks on homelessnessA big new focus of his philanthropy will be innovators solving this acute social problem. The best are nonprofit volunteers equipped with special qualities of care that can heal the homeless from the inside out.
