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While partisan debate over health care has become deadlocked, the coronavirus has exposed the public health challenge in testing and treating individuals, as well as the hardship of workers who lack paid sick leave.聽

Allaying fear and rallying the nation is a critical task for any leader at a time of crisis. But downplaying the challenge or misstating fundamental facts can severely undercut the public鈥檚 confidence.

Angela Merkel has set the path of Germany and Europe for two decades. But with the chancellor鈥檚 tenure nearing its end and her one-time heir apparent now out, the vision of Germany's future is suddenly unclear.

Concerns about public trust in scientific expertise abound. Could increased transparency around research promote confidence in science?

For those feeling overwhelmed by the news, books can offer a means of contemplative escape. Here are the Monitor reviewers鈥� top 10 books for March, including a story that takes the stuff of midlife misery and makes it not just relatable but downright funny, and a novel that weaves issues of contemporary American racial identity into a vivid urban fantasy.

In a few nations whose ancestors once ruled empires, such as Russia and Iran, leaders can鈥檛 seem to shake historical memories of having once controlled lands that are now independent countries. Others, like Germany, have largely given up old impulses for imperial-style power. On Tuesday, the Netherlands provided an example of what a former colonizer can do to exert a different kind of influence 鈥� through humility.

During his first visit to Indonesia, the Dutch king, Willem-Alexander, apologized for the 鈥渆xcessive violence鈥� used by the Dutch empire to hold on to its former colony. For 350 years the Netherlands ruled what was then the Dutch East Indies, killing thousands in the late 1940s during the Indonesian war for independence.

The apology was a first by a Dutch monarch. The king made a point of acknowledging 鈥渢he pain and sorrow鈥� of families whose loved ones were killed as independence fighters. In 2013, after a court suit, the Netherlands compensated many widows and children of those killed. But now the apology marks a new level of bilateral reconciliation.

In a highly symbolic gesture, the king laid a wreath at a cemetery for Indonesia鈥檚 fallen soldiers. And scholars from both countries have been collaborating on a history of the war for independence.

For his part, the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, graciously accepted the apology. 鈥淲e try to learn from history to strengthen our commitment to build an equal relationship that respects and benefits each other,鈥� he said. The countries used the occasion to seal deals for $1 billion in new trade.

Despite such steps, the king and his government probably know the difficulty of shifting public opinion in the Netherlands. In a YouGov survey last year, half of Dutch people said the old empire, which included Indonesia, is something to be proud of. Only 6% said the empire was a shameful period.

The Dutch, in fact, are prouder of their former empire than people in seven other countries surveyed by YouGov: Britain, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Japan, and Germany. In most of the European countries, the prevailing attitude toward former colonies is one of indifference.

The world鈥檚 era of colonization largely ended by the late 20th century. Yet in recent years, Russia has retaken parts of Ukraine. Iran commands other parts of the Middle East by proxy militias. And China has taken many islands far from its coast. When a former imperial power tries to clean up its past rather than re-create it, the world makes progress. The Dutch king鈥檚 apology is an example.