海角大神

With many Democrats concerned about President Joe Biden鈥檚 ability to serve a second term, the spotlight is shining brighter on Vice President Kamala Harris. That gives her an opportunity to reintroduce herself to voters after a rough start.聽

鈥� Beryl鈥檚 wake:聽Millions of people were without power after Hurricane Beryl hit Texas. They may also face days without air conditioning in dangerous heat. The storm is forecast to bring heavy rains to a swath extending to the Great Lakes and Canada.
鈥⒙�Embezzlement report: Brazil鈥檚 Federal Police allege former President Jair Bolsonaro embezzled jewelry worth about $1.2 million during his time in office. He was indicted last week.
鈥⒙�Russian prison sentence:聽A playwright and a theater director each got six years for a play about Russian women who marry Islamic State fighters that authorities said was 鈥渏ustifying terrorism.鈥� The case was the most prominent prosecution of cultural figures since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.聽
鈥⒙�Kyiv children鈥檚 hospital: The head of the U.N. Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said the July 8 strike on the Okhmatdyt hospital was likely caused by a direct hit from a Russian missile.聽
鈥⒙�Peace mission: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orb谩n paid an unexpected visit to Beijing days after talks with Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin angered some European Union leaders.

Read these news briefs.

Joe Biden鈥檚 leadership of NATO in addressing the challenges posed by Russia and its war in Ukraine has reassured U.S. allies and been a centerpiece of his presidency. His debate performance raises uncomfortable questions.

The United Kingdom鈥檚 July 4 election revealed that the country鈥檚 smaller parties are winning a growing share of the popular vote, even as the two big parties dominate Parliament. So citizens are increasingly in favor of making the electoral system fairer.

The return of pandas to the United States is sparking a new wave of 鈥減anda-monium,鈥� highlighting the bears鈥� enduring power to shape China鈥檚 foreign relations and global wildlife conservation.

As our essayist discovered at the tender age of 12, the old adage is true: Experience really is the best teacher.聽

Since Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, the member states of NATO have bolstered their shared military readiness across Eastern Europe and admitted Sweden and Finland to their ranks. Now world leaders gathering in Washington this week to mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance plan to go further. They expect to deepen their military support for Ukraine and extend security cooperation with like-minded partners in Asia.

These measures mark a push within NATO to apply its long-standing approach to building peace through 鈥渄efense and deterrence鈥� to a new age of threats. Yet within the alliance, some members are also pushing safeguards for collective security that do not rely on military hardware. One national leader, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, said debates about global security are overly based on planning for war. 鈥淲e also need to start talking about peace and a pathway towards peace,鈥� he told a forum of policymakers in Helsinki last month.

A bilateral security agreement signed Monday between Poland and Ukraine enumerates what Mr. Stubb may have in mind. It sets a 鈥渟hared responsibility for peace鈥� on 鈥渃ommonly shared principles of democracy, rule of law, good governance, [and] respect for fundamental freedoms and human rights.鈥�

That is just one of 19 such agreements that individual NATO members have forged with Ukraine. While many include supplying Kyiv with weapons, they also include measures to strengthen governance and ensure that children in war zones keep going to school. That dovetails with Sweden鈥檚 national security strategy, which links peace to the security of girls and women.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, one of Europe鈥檚 foremost hawks in response to Russian aggression in Ukraine, argued that encouraging corruption reform in Ukraine is as important as sending it arms. Her argument corresponds with a bilateral security framework the Biden administration signed with Ukraine last month. It encourages 鈥渋mplementation of Ukraine鈥檚 effective reform agenda, including strengthened good governance, anti-corruption, ... and rule of law.鈥�

These building blocks, argued Michael Doyle, professor of international affairs at Columbia University, explain why liberal democracies remain peaceful 鈥� at least with each other. 鈥淲hen governments are constrained by international institutions, when political elites or the electorate are committed to norms of liberty, when the public鈥檚 views are reflected through representative institutions, and when democracies trade and invest in one another, conflicts among republics are peacefully resolved,鈥� he wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine last month.

In a 2021 speech to the United Nations, U.S. President Joe Biden put that more succinctly. 鈥淭he future will belong to those who embrace human dignity, not trample it.鈥� Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine is expanding NATO鈥檚 approach to security beyond arms. It sees peace rooted in human dignity as unshakable.