All Editorials
OpinionGreece should follow Argentina into default and devaluationEuropean policymakers want to avoid Greek default and keep Greece in the eurozone. However, Argentina鈥檚 decision to devalue its currency and default was the right one. It was the only step that offered a way out of the crisis facing the country. Greece should do the same.
OpinionHow to raise African-American boys like Trayvon Martin to be careful, not paranoidThe fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman has opened a dialogue on broader issues. One is the unique challenge parents face in teaching African-American children to be safe but not fearful.- Readers RespondReaders Write: Charm is no better than incivility; Gun rights vs. gun wrongsLetters to the editor for the weekly print edition of April 2, 2012: One reader argues that the call for more 'charm' as a remedy for incivility is misguided, as charm can be mistaken for superficiality. Another reader faults partisan media programming for preventing Americans from disagreeing agreeably. A third reader 'has no quarrel with gun rights,' just with 'gun wrongs.'
The Monitor's ViewThe odds and ends of Mega Millions jackpot lotteryThe long odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot lottery is just a start into understanding why gambling is the wrong way to live up to one's abilities to get ahead in life.
OpinionMyanmar elections: A hold-your-breath moment for freedom and Aung San Suu KyiSuspense is building for the Myanmar elections April 1. Will democracy fighter and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi finally get an official voice in her country, formerly known as Burma? The US can help freedom emerge in Myanmar through pressure and a new ambassador.
OpinionConservative justices may hate Obamacare, but they should not overrule CongressThe Supreme Court's conservative justices deliberating on the health care law known as Obamacare should heed the historical example of Republican-appointed justice, Harlan Fiske Stone. He detested New Deal policies but argued the court had no right to overturn them.
The Monitor's ViewMexico presidential campaign: Off to a good startThe two frontrunners in the Mexican presidential campaign now talk of reforming the state oil monopoly, Pemex. It's a sign of Mexico's hopeful future, despite the drug wars.
John HughesWhether Obama or Romney, next US leader faces severe foreign challengesWhoever wins the US presidency 鈥� be it likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney or President Obama 鈥� faces an array of foreign-policy challenges that may be as daunting as those of the cold war.聽For starters, they involve China, Russia, the Arab world, Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan.- John HughesWhether Obama or Romney, next US leader faces severe foreign challengesWhoever wins the US presidency 鈥� be it likely GOP nominee Mitt Romney or President Obama 鈥� faces an array of foreign-policy challenges that may be as daunting as those of the cold war.聽For starters, they involve China, Russia, the Arab world, Iran, North Korea, and Pakistan.
6 signs of hope in Pakistan The American imagination can run wild amid Pakistan鈥檚 political uncertainties and instability. But any pessimistic view of Pakistan, while endemic in the West, differs considerably from the perspective of Pakistani analysts who cautiously point to more optimistic scenarios. They cite six hopeful developments.
OpinionWhy George Zimmerman should not be 'crucified' for killing Trayvon MartinPassionate citizens and leaders have no right to declare neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman guilty of murdering Trayvon Martin. Due process in the legal system determines that guilt or innocence. Equating justice with imprisoning Zimmerman or firing officials is premature.
The Monitor's ViewSupreme Court wrestles with a more dependent worldThe high court hears a complaint from states about the health-care law's 'coercion' to accept an expensive expansion of Medicaid. The issue reflects a more dependent world in government, trade, and high-tech.
OpinionSenate resolution on Iran may be bipartisan, but it could lead to warThe Senate is considering a bipartisan resolution on Iran that denounces containment and could be taken as an authorization of US force against a nuclear Iran. But containment is the second-worst option. A preventive strike that could lead to war in the Middle East is the worst.
OpinionOccupy has wrong 'Target': Consumers and economy value Wal-Mart et al.By shifting its focus from Wall Street and targeting companies like Wal-Mart and Amazon.com, the Occupy movement could do more harm to American consumers than good.聽A new study shows these companies make consumers feel safe, satisfied, even happy. And they create jobs.
The Monitor's ViewIslam's defining moment with democracyIslamist parties now dominate the constitution-writing process in post-revolution Egypt and Tunisia. If they can make Islam compatible with democracy, they will give hope to others in the Middle East still struggling in the unfinished Arab Spring.
OpinionObamacare gives Congress license to micromanage every facet of our livesThe Obama administration has never offered a principled explanation of how to square the health-care law's individual mandate with the Constitution.聽If Congress can force us to buy health insurance, what can鈥檛 it order us to buy?
OpinionTrayvon Martin: the crime of being black, male, and wearing a hoodieWhatever happens to neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman, the dialogue on race must go on. Media perpetually associate criminality with black males. Legislators criminalize black dress. And the criminal justice system disproportionately penalizes black men and boys.
Beyond Obamacare: 5 opinions on health care reform Health care reform remains a contentious issue in the United States. The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law, the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare. But some Republicans, like presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, hope to repeal the law under the next Congress. Here, writers explore five key aspects of health-care reform.
OpinionFor nuclear security beyond Seoul, eradicate land-based 'doomsday' missilesAmerica's 450 launch-ready land-based nuclear-armed ballistic missiles are the opposite of a deterrent to attack. In fact, their very deployment has the potential to launch World War III and precipitate human extinction 鈥� as a result of a false alarm.聽We鈥檙e not exaggerating.
The Monitor's ViewTrayvon Martin case: What cities can learnCities like Sanford must improve their community-building to reduce the kind of fear that might have led George Zimmerman to confront a hoodie-covered Trayvon Martin.