海角大神

Look away from the US southern border. Bravado and self-assurance have stoked tensions over trade for the world鈥檚 two largest economies. We look at what鈥檚 shifting as both sides see the risks of a trade war.

Now look well south of the US-Mexico line.聽In聽Guatemala, a leader who vowed to curb corruption has changed his tune. We wanted to explore what could happen if institutions can鈥檛 check him.

The outsider presidency has challenged core conservative principles, such as commitment to free markets and limited government spending. So is a new 鈥渙fficial conservatism鈥� taking shape?

Residents of New England鈥檚 old mill towns might be excused for feeling left behind.聽But in Lawrence, Mass., locals have refused to let abandoned buildings and polluted landscapes define their future.

To two longtime Monitor correspondents on assignment, a step into the Sahara meant adventure. But to聽others, it represents peril.聽And to still others, it can mean life and livelihood.聽

In case you have yet to send thank-you notes for holiday gifts, perhaps this rare story of public gratitude might give you a nudge. In Greece this week, government leaders gave a big thank-you to a visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel for helping the country become free of massive bailouts and get itself back on its fiscal feet.

Just five years ago, Alexis Tsipras, the current prime minister, told Ms. Merkel during a visit to 鈥済o back鈥� because of the financial austerity and strict reforms imposed on a Greece long used to entitlements, tax evasion, and lying about official debt.

The gratitude was more than warranted.

The size of emergency loans from foreign creditors ($331 billion) from 2010 to 2018 鈥� especially from German taxpayers 鈥� was the largest ever to a country on the brink of bankruptcy. And Germany certainly had an interest in rescuing Greece. Collapse of the economy or a default on debt might have destroyed the euro, the single currency for much of Europe.

Yet the gratitude expressed by both Mr. Tsipras and Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos was more than a 鈥渄ebt of gratitude鈥� or an acknowledgment of mutual dependency. Both sides spoke as if a virtuous cycle of friendship and partnership had replaced past resentments and fear.

Gratitude for good can have that power. It can replace an instinct for willpower to solve a problem. It allows for patience and an openness to further good.

鈥淭he difficulties now lie behind us,鈥� said Tsipras, who had once opposed budget belt-tightening. 鈥淕reece is a different country that can regard the future with greater optimism.鈥�

For her part, Merkel appreciated the new trust and frankness that helped the countries find solutions. She also paid tribute, with some empathy, to the continuing sacrifices of Greeks. 鈥淚 know people went through great difficulty and had to undergo very hard and harsh reforms.鈥�

The Greek economy still has a long way to go to maintain its steady but small growth. About a third of the population lives near poverty. But Merkel鈥檚 visit marks another step in the thinking of Greeks as they emerge from crisis. Being thankful is a critical threshold.

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