海角大神

One measure of a nation鈥檚 strength is social cohesion. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been closely watching Israel鈥檚 wrenching protests over judicial reform, in which military reservists have played a prominent role.

The Kremlin鈥檚 ban on gender-affirming care聽signals an acceleration of Russia鈥檚 authoritarian drift, with treatment of trans people as a signal to distinguish Russia from the West.

At a place called ground zero for slavery in North America, our writer found a space for reflection about social progress that鈥檚 been haltingly made 鈥� and about the hard work still to be done. He spoke about his reporting on聽our weekly podcast.听

In 鈥淜ing Lear,鈥� veteran actor Ellen McLaughlin has found both a 鈥渕arvelous鈥� role and a vehicle to help audiences consider how people care for one another.

Since its elections nearly two weeks ago, Spain has been stalled. The two main parties each fell just short of a majority in parliament, which one or the other needs to form a new government. But buried in the ballot鈥檚 footnotes is a lesson for countries striving to heal the sharp divisions of political grievance.

The region of Catalonia in Spain鈥檚 northeastern corner has a long history of secessionist discontent. Six years ago, it held a referendum to break away. The Spanish government responded with police force that human rights watchdogs called excessive. Lately, however, Madrid has struck a more conciliatory tone. Prime Minister Pedro S谩nchez pardoned nine separatist leaders in 2021 in what he called a 鈥渃onstitutional spirit of forgiveness.鈥� In January, he signed a law striking sedition 鈥� the crime for which the nine were imprisoned 鈥� from Spain鈥檚 penal code.

Those gestures help to explain one outcome in the recent election. 鈥淐atalan national parties performed rather poorly in this election,鈥� noted Carlota Encina, a Europe expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, while 鈥渢he very respectable voter turnout, over 70 percent, above the EU average, suggests that Spaniards have considerable faith in their representative institutions.鈥澛�

At a time when political grievances are testing norms and institutions in countries like Israel, India, and the United States, some democracies are finding resilience in the practice of respect and humility.

Twice during his administration, French President Emmanuel Macron has gone on listening tours in response to mass social protests over fuel prices, taxes, and retirement reforms. In India, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has done the same. He recently walked the country鈥檚 length listening in response to political violence and new restrictions on the religious minorities. The aim, he said, was 鈥渢o stand up against the fear, hatred and violence that is being spread in the country.鈥�

The South American country of Chile is trying its own experiment in accommodation. In June, the government launched a new Commission for Peace and Understanding to address the long-standing Indigenous grievances over land rights. A previous administration deployed soldiers in response to violence in Mapuche strongholds and imposed a state of emergency. The new panel rests on an acknowledgment of historical wrongs, including dispossession and ethnic pogroms, as a basis for building trust.

鈥淲e all come together from different visions [and] daily political quarrel,鈥� said President Gabriel Boric, 鈥減utting the common good above our differences.鈥澛�

Democracy, writes Harvard Business School professor David Moss, 鈥渘eeds to actively work against corrosive forces, both moral and institutional, or succumb to them.鈥� From Spain to Chile, societies are finding a restorative power in words spoken softly.