All The Monitor's View
What a pause in Syria鈥檚 war can meanA reluctant Russia calls for a temporary cease-fire in Ghouta, reflecting the idea that the sovereignty of innocent lives matters more than national sovereignty.
The quality of mercy in stemming violenceMore than 100 former terrorists are offering private apologies to their victims this week in Indonesia. The goal: preventing violence through contrition, reconciliation, and mercy.
Helping the world鈥檚 largest group of homelessThe UN and Europe have put out a plea to assist 4.1 million displaced people in Congo. Such aid might help the country become Africa鈥檚 next democratic success story.
What is really scarce in a water droughtAs places like Cape Town and California deal with less water, their leaders must see the abundance in innovation and cooperation.
More than one way to prevent mass shootingsThose on the front lines of dealing with young people can be given the support needed to instill qualities of character that might preempt violent behavior.
鈥楤lack Panther鈥� challenges limits on identityThe blockbuster action movie illustrates the potential for infinite expression, not the limits of one racial identity.
After large-scale killings, aid groups find new ways to comfort聽From Florida to post-ISIS Iraq, incidents of mass violence have pushed humanitarian groups to offer care for trauma and ways for communities to rebond.
An antidote to despair over yet another mass shootingProgress to prevent large-scale violence in the US can seem slow. Yet any exasperation can be countered with gratitude toward humanity鈥檚 progress over many ills.
South Africa鈥檚 struggle for honest leadersThe ruling African National Congress turned on President Zuma in response to the same kind of civic activism that ended white rule, only this time the cause is honest governance.
Bending the arc toward national serviceFrance and Canada have each proposed ways for young people to engage in national service. The US, meanwhile, has seen a drop in volunteering. A special panel could help reverse that trend.
India links women鈥檚 safety and economic growthEven as its economy spurts ahead, India cites a need to end violence against women, girls, and female fetuses in order to maintain growth.
A veiled truth in Iran and the USIn Iran, women protest a law imposing the hijab while in the US many Muslim women oppose the stigma against headscarves. The common demand is to recognize an individual鈥檚 dignity and freedom of choice.
Signal of hope for VenezuelaA trip to Latin America by the top US envoy reveals the extent of Venezuela鈥檚聽 crisis. By helping the country鈥檚 refugees, the rest of the region might send a message about respect for innocent lives.
Europe revives its power of attractionAfter years of internal woes, the EU looks to expand its values into the troublesome Balkans with a renewed offer of membership. Its positive narrative can counter competition for influence from Russia and China.
How the Olympics can reshape the KoreasYoung South Koreans, in protesting the forced kinship on a joint hockey team, display a civic identity above ethnic nationalism. Perhaps that is a path toward peace on the peninsula.
The Fed鈥檚 drive for moral leadership in bank boardsThe Federal Reserve鈥檚 surprise punishment of Wells Fargo hints at its new demand for board directors to be proactive as moral managers of corporate culture.
After mass rape, turning disgrace into graceNew services for women assaulted in conflict, such as in the Rohingya crisis, aim to restore a survivor鈥檚 dignity and remove social stigmas. Another aim is to help end gender inequality and the culture of impunity toward wartime rape.
Who can win the peace in Syria?This long war is heading to a contest over which countries can afford to reconstruct the country and win over the Syrian people.
Amazon and friends try to heal the healersAmazon joins with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan to bring the best in disruptive innovation to curbing costs in health care. Yet their approach needs a deeper look at quality of care.
Super Bowl as respite and bridgeThis outsize TV spectacle is losing viewers. Yet such national rituals are needed to help Americans transcend their widening political divide.
