All Editorials
John HughesBarack Obama: Hope, change, and contradictionBarack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling presidents. He bravely took out Osama bin Laden but hasn鈥檛 had the courage to tackle the deficit. And now he's picked a fight with Catholics 鈥� the majority of whom voted for him in 2008.- John HughesBarack Obama: Hope, change, and contradictionBarack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling presidents. He bravely took out Osama bin Laden but hasn鈥檛 had the courage to tackle the deficit. And now he's picked a fight with Catholics 鈥� the majority of whom voted for him in 2008.
OpinionDemocrats, GOP collude to lure people into gamblingIt seems like America鈥檚 political parties have never been more polarized. But when it comes to state-regulated gambling, they鈥檙e often playing the same hand. Unfortunately, it's a losing one.
Clint Eastwood Chrysler Super bowl commercial: Facebook fans respondIf you didn鈥檛 see it aired on TV during halftime of the Super bowl Sunday, you鈥檝e likely heard about it by now: The Clint Eastwood Chrysler commercial. Amid all the debate on the ad's perceived political stance, we took this question to our Facebook fans: After watching this video, do you think Chrysler came out with a pro-Obama commercial, or a patriotic commercial? We鈥檝e culled their 127 comments and grouped the best here.
The Monitor's ViewWages of sin in Greek debt crisisAccepting a 22 percent wage cut is difficult when Greeks don't agree on responsibility for their debt crisis. Shared sacrifice would be easier if they owned up to their role.
OpinionTrapped in Douma, Syria: I saw the faith that keeps Syrian protesters goingDuring the 14 days I spent in Syria last month, I saw the most horrendous acts of the Assad regime on its people. When I asked people what spurred them on amid such indiscriminate brutality, they all gave the same response: Their only hope is their faith in right and wrong.
OpinionCongo: National elections now only hurt democracyWhat the Democratic Republic of Congo needs is not another national election but a rethinking of how the state might be reorganized. In the long run, only a decentralized system of government 鈥撀爋r perhaps a partition of the country 鈥� is likely to produce accountable leadership.
The Monitor's ViewA woman as Mexico's president?On Sunday, the ruling party nominated Josefina Vazquez Mota to be the first woman candidate for president from a major Mexican party. Would she instill rule of law and sustain the fight against drug cartels?
OpinionChina: One fire may be out, but tensions over rural land rights are still smolderingThe same tinderbox that allowed the Chinese village of Wukan to erupt (the confiscation of farmer鈥檚 land without聽fair聽compensation) is present in thousands of villages across China. The scale of the problem is a matter of both domestic and global concern.
John HughesThe great wait of China: How long until freedom?How long can China's communist regime hold in thrall people who have prospered in an economic system that has many of the hallmarks of free enterprise? Despite attempts to censor the Internet, China's huge, new urban population is aware of the outside world and changes in it.- John HughesThe great wait of China: How long until freedom?How long can China's communist regime hold in thrall people who have prospered in an economic system that has many of the hallmarks of free enterprise? Despite attempts to censor the Internet, China's huge, new urban population is aware of the outside world and changes in it.
The Monitor's ViewOf presidents and prime ministers who talk of faithObama in America and Cameron in Britain have spoken of how their 海角大神 faith influences their approach to shaping society. The US presidential campaign is also skirting church-state issues. How much should religion and politics mix?
OpinionGoing green: View my world-class collection of hotel towel cards.My global collection of towel cards tells guests how to be green (and save the hotel money) in a dozen instructive, chic, bossy, relieving, euphemistic, paranoid, minimalistic, and earnest ways.
OpinionRussian protests 鈥� echoes of US civil rights movementTo see the December protests in Russia as primarily a political wave is to miss a more fundamental leaven at work in Russian society: a moral awakening akin to the American civil rights movement. An early test is Saturday, when a massive protest in Moscow is planned.
The Monitor's ViewRussia must rethink what Syria protests meanRussia under Vladimir Putin sees only a civil war in Syria, justifying its threat to veto any US Security Council action against Assad. But Syria is in a revolution, a shifting of sovereignty.
Three factors that will determine Syria鈥檚 futureThe most realistic scenario in Syria is quagmire: Assad still has loyalty; the opposition is splintered, though protests continue; and the international community is indecisive, including the Arab League. But stalemate could finally prompt foreign intervention and a needed 鈥榮afe zone. Benedetta Berti, a fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies of Tel Aviv University, lists the three factors that will determine Syria鈥檚 future.
Global ViewpointMario Monti is working through Italy's debt crisis. Is the US watching?Italy may find Prime Minister Mario Monti's dose of discipline hard to swallow, but his depoliticized democracy is the only form of government that can move Italy forward.聽Monti's experiment may also serve as an antidote to the political dysfunction in the West 鈥� especially the US.- Global ViewpointMario Monti is working through Italy's debt crisis. Is the US watching?Italy may find Prime Minister Mario Monti's dose of discipline hard to swallow, but his depoliticized democracy is the only form of government that can move Italy forward.聽Monti's experiment may also serve as an antidote to the political dysfunction in the West 鈥� especially the US.
OpinionA look back: In spite of super PACs, this isn't the most negative campaign in historyNegative campaigning is actually an American tradition.聽In fact, attack campaigning has been around since the beginning without derailing the electoral process.聽Mudslinging can hardly be called a positive campaign feature, but it is a sign of democracy in action.
The Monitor's ViewWith Facebook IPO, time to friend privacyFacebook's IPO, or initial public offering, will lead to shareholder pressure on the firm to squeeze profits out of users' personal data. Google, too, faces more scrutiny as it mines user data even more. Privacy watchdogs need to be on the alert.
