All Editorials
OpinionConflict in Mali shows US needs greater engagement in AfricaWhile I am pleased at reports of US cooperation with France to stop Islamist extremists Mali and run them out of Timbuktu, I remain concerned about the interrelated, widespread threat of terror in the region. America cannot afford to treat it as compartmentalized country-by-country issue.
OpinionThe fall and rise of Chuck Hagel: a good sign for US-Israel relationsChuck Hagel, President Obama's controversial nominee for secretary of Defense, faces his Senate confirmation hearing today. His rise after a wave of objections is a welcome sign that 'daylight' between US and Israeli policies may be becoming more politically acceptable in Washington.
The Monitor's ViewAnswers to gun violence may lie in nonsmoking campaignsEven as a Senate hearing on gun violence draws ideas from both Gabrielle Giffords and the NRA, a lesson in curbing a risky product like guns can be found in the recent history of nonsmoker rights.
OpinionTo fight wealth gap, save the familyThe biggest predictor of family economic status is not race or geography, but whether households are headed by one parent or two. Until we address the reality of family breakup, we can鈥檛 effectively fight that key cause of family poverty. Here are five ways to keep families together.
OpinionGabrielle Giffords and NRA are both right about one thing: US culture of violenceGabrielle Giffords made a compelling plea at the Senate hearings on gun control today, but the National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre is also partly right: Banning guns won鈥檛 address a pervasive culture of violence that doesn't distinguish between real and virtual violence.
The Monitor's ViewEgypt's protests reveal deficit of trust in Muslim BrotherhoodOpen defiance of Egypt's president in street protests shows how much the Muslim Brotherhood needs to leave Islam outside the door of democracy.
6 reasons why President Obama will defeat the NRA and win universal background checksSomething is going to happen this session in the US Congress that hasn鈥檛 happened in more than a decade: The National Rifle Association (NRA) is going to lose on a top priority issue. Here are six reasons why President Obama will win a victory on universal background checks.
OpinionIran and the US need a middleman 鈥� or twoAs Iran and the US prepare for negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program, both sides should consider turning to middlemen. Turkey and Japan are perfectly positioned as trusted intermediaries to build a proposal that has a better chance at success than anything by the 'P5+1.'
The Monitor's ViewImmigration reform as a path to conscience, not just citizenshipA bipartisan plan on immigration reform by a group of senators reflects tough terms for forgiving most illegal immigrants. President Obama, too, must adopt only an amnesty that strongly contributes to rule of law.
OpinionAttacks in Mali, Libya, Algeria show why Africa still needs US supportAttacks by Islamist insurgents on US outposts in Benghazi, Libya, at a gas plant in Algeria, and in Mali expose several reasons for persistent security weakness across Africa. For one thing, many countries are too poor to supply the funds and soldiers for regional peace efforts.
The Monitor's ViewThe listening legacy of Hillary Rodham ClintonThe legacy of Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of State may be in her enhancement of the diplomatic art of listening to other peoples 鈥� especially women 鈥� and not only world leaders. With President Obama honoring her in a "60 Minutes" interview, that legacy needs to be sustained.
Global ViewpointItalian elections: Monti vs. Berlusconi and a test of democracyThe upcoming Italian elections are a contest between the populism of short-term fixes championed by Silvio Berlusconi and the long-term reforms of Mario Monti necessary to make Italy鈥檚 economy solvent, competitive, and sustainable over the long run.- Global ViewpointItalian elections: Monti vs. Berlusconi and a test of democracyThe upcoming Italian elections are a contest between the populism of short-term fixes championed by Silvio Berlusconi and the long-term reforms of Mario Monti necessary to make Italy鈥檚 economy solvent, competitive, and sustainable over the long run.
OpinionNorth Korea threatens US 鈥� what about its own people?As North Korea threatens the US, South Korea, and world peace with hints of a third nuclear test, what about its threat to its own people? It has one of the worst human rights records in the world. The UN must open a 'commission of inquiry' into crimes against humanity.
The Monitor's ViewWomen in combat: Why that's so yesterdayThe military's decision to allow women in almost every combat role isn't surprising at a deeper level. Humans have been more rapidly overcoming barriers to physical limitations. Now we just expect it.
OpinionUS should look to Morocco for help with threats in Mali, Algeria, LibyaHillary Rodham Clinton yesterday pointed to violent extremism in places such as Libya and Mali as a 'strategic challenge' to the United States and North Africa. The US can help meet that challenge by partnering with Morocco, an island of calm and progress in a chaotic region.
Global ViewpointWhy Middle East Muslims are taught to hate JewsFor far too long the pervasive Middle Eastern qualification of Jews as murderers and bloodsuckers was dismissed in the West as an extreme view of radical fringe groups. But it is not.聽It is time for the region's secular movements to start a counter-education in tolerance.- Global ViewpointWhy Middle East Muslims are taught to hate JewsFor far too long the pervasive Middle Eastern qualification of Jews as murderers and bloodsuckers was dismissed in the West as an extreme view of radical fringe groups. But it is not.聽It is time for the region's secular movements to start a counter-education in tolerance.
OpinionIsrael's new government could bring shift in policy on Arab Spring and PalestiniansFollowing Israel鈥檚 parliamentary elections, the gains of Yair Lapid鈥檚 moderate party over Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 Likud party could provide the opportunity for a needed change in Israel鈥檚 stance on the Arab Spring and its conflict with the Palestinians.
OpinionCharacter education is not enough to help poor kidsCharacter education 鈥� teaching kids to be responsible and to persevere 鈥� isn't enough to bring poor students out of poverty or close the achievement gap. Policymakers need to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and the significant obstacles poor children face.
