All Commentary
Global ViewpointGordon Brown: 'Education without Borders' is a must for kids in conflict zonesFailure to protect the right to education for children in conflict zones fuels violence by drawing children to terrorist groups. In South Sudan, girls are more likely to die in childbirth than make it through primary school. The World Bank and IMF spring meeting must address this.- Global ViewpointGordon Brown: 'Education without Borders' is a must for kids in conflict zonesFailure to protect the right to education for children in conflict zones fuels violence by drawing children to terrorist groups. In South Sudan, girls are more likely to die in childbirth than make it through primary school. The World Bank and IMF spring meeting must address this.
OpinionWhy Obama can't control gas pricesMany of us fail to understand a near-maxim of gas prices: No one can really control them and certainly not an American president. And we should know why that is the case since the price of gasoline impacts us all and the global economy.
OpinionBashar al-Assad may be beating Annan plan in Syria for now, but he won't for longPutting UN monitors on the ground in Syria as part of Kofi Annan鈥檚 wider peace plan is a constructive step forward. But for now, Bashar al-Assad continues to set most of the terms.听With more creative international action he will not be able to do so in the medium to long term.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveHard times, bad housing market, and a true homeA 海角大神 Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewThe GSA and Secret Service scandals: Where's the public virtue?The misconduct of Secret Service agents and General Services Administration (GSA) workers must lead to reforms and better education of public workers about their special role.
Look! Up in the sky! It's Space Shuttle Discovery.This morning, I laced up my office set of tennis shoes and walked to the Washington Monument to witness the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery headed for its museum resting place. The crowd pointed excitedly as if they were looking at Superman. And in a way, they were.
OpinionRussia protests are overblown by West. Putin is here to stay.Mesmerized by Moscow protests, Western observers predict President-elect Vladimir Putin鈥檚 demise. But the politically active middle class is small and limited. US policy must be based on a realistic analysis of Putin鈥檚 support, not unfounded assessments that he's on his last legs.
OpinionTax day: How to remind Americans that paying taxes is a conservative valueTo help create a political climate in which Americans can talk sensibly about taxes, let's start with kids: It鈥檚 time to make The Tax Talk with our kids just as much a part of our culture as The Sex Talk or The Drugs Talk.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectivePrayer: the long and the short of itA 海角大神 Science perspective: Whether our prayers are long or short, the key is heartfelt sincerity and trust.
The Monitor's ViewArtful diplomacy with Syria and IranKofi Annan and Catherine Ashton each relied on delicate diplomacy to bring some fragile hope to two big security issues 鈥� Iran's nuclear program and the civil war in Syria.
OpinionBigger scandal in Latin America than US secret service: US drug hungerThe secret service prostitution scandal overshadows renewed calls at the Summit of the Americas for the US to stanch its drug consumption. A viral 'Drug Violence 2012' video (think 'Kony 2012') would help young Americans聽connect US drug use to violence in Central and South America.
OpinionGregg Williams audio and Saints bounty program test my football faithFootball for me has always been a kind of faith. But now the audio of former New Orleans Saints defensive coach Gregg Williams instructing his team to injure players is testing that faith.听As a lifelong NFL fan, I need to know that I鈥檓 not financing cruel blood sport.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveA 'spam filter' for your thinkingA 海角大神 Science perspective.
- Readers RespondReaders Write: Is America's gun culture useful or dangerous?Letters to the Editor for the weekly print edition of April 16, 2012: One reader argues that a recent cover story ('Inside America's gun culture') didn't give聽adequate聽coverage to the use of guns for hunting, competition, and sport. Another worries that 'any聽angry malcontent with a short fuse and a chip on his shoulder, could pull a loaded gun.'
The Monitor's ViewThe Ann Romney flap and women's rolesThe flap over the Hilary Rosen comment about stay-at-home mom Ann Romney only exposes a deeper issue about self-sacrifice 鈥� for both men and women.
OpinionNorth Korea rocket launch: Why Kim failed the testNorth Korea's failed rocket launch symbolizes the inefficacy of Pyongyang's economic and political system and the crash of brief hopes that the new Kim regime might lead to rapprochement with South Korea and the United States.
No crusty journalist complaint here: Caine's Arcade is more than a distracting fadWe sometimes complain that fickle聽Internet fads drive聽our news coverage. But Caine's Arcade made the virtual front pages for all the right reasons. The phenomenon聽provides another example of how the Web 2.0 world informs media coverage 鈥� and better yet 鈥� inspires action.
OpinionIran talks: Why time is ripe for compromisePositive signals from Iran and the United States are encouraging as talks on Tehran's nuclear program get underway, writes a political expert from Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.- A 海角大神 Science PerspectiveAn Advocate who's always with youA 海角大神 Science perspective: Paying taxes can be a stressful endeavor. Whether you have professional tax help or not, you have an Advocate.
