All From the Editors
- CommentaryThe trap of ‘either/or’
When presented with two possibilities, we often make it binary, assuming the two choices are mutually exclusive. But the fact is, the best choices are often “both/and.”
- CommentaryA headline worth a thousand words
Distilling the essence of a story down to two or three words in 80-point type can be a challenge under any circumstance. When it comes to politics, it takes even more deftness.
- CommentaryOne final ‘Top 10’: best of Monitor journalism
We looked through all our work last year and found 10 stories that most embodied the Monitor’s desire to uplift, enlighten, and improve through journalism. And we thought, why not share?
- CommentaryThe Russian town that might save the world
Torzhok is experiencing a resurgence because of one woman’s activism.
- CommentaryA different kind of news bias
We would never accept news that is disproportionately positive. Why are we so willing to accept the reverse?
- CommentaryWhy desegregation matters
Separateness can be beautiful, expressed in distinct cultures, traditions, and nations. But when the Supreme Court declared in 1954 that “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal,” it touched on a truth.
- CommentaryRefuge is not a point on a map
What obligation do more prosperous nations have to help those in disarray or distress?
- CommentaryThe aggressive (and subtle) faces of coercion
No matter the injustices heaped upon them, liberty and freedom percolate beneath the surface.
- CommentaryDo borders have to divide?
What are borders, really? In an evolving world, what should they do?
- CommentaryHorse sense for politics
Only by not resorting to violence can you develop a relationship built on trust and respect.
- CommentaryColonialism in reverse
The story of Juba Arabic is one of colonization. The language is a mixture of different tongues imposed upon the South Sudanese by outsiders. That makes the story of Juba Arabic an allegory of sorts.
- CommentaryWhat democracy actually does
Opinions about the best way forward can fracture a country in countless ways. Democracy, at its most fundamental level, is about creating a structure that can absorb those disagreements without violence or tyranny.
- CommentaryWhat money can’t buy in politics
Money does other things that are subtler yet in some ways just as concerning as outright corruption. And, in a bit of a shock, new research suggests that money doesn’t do something that many think it does.
- CommentaryDemanding more from politics
What the Kavanaugh hearings showed is the tendency to be satisfied with the 'politics of personal destruction.'
- CommentaryThe triumph of gray
Perhaps the answer to growing concerns about capitalism is not in black or white – it is in the perpetual reconsideration and recalibration that reveals the symphony within the gray.
- CommentaryHow to create a world full of winners
When politics appeals to our zero-sum fears just to get us to the ballot box, it is a small step back toward the Stone Age.
- CommentarySearching for a balance
Is saving the Amazon really just about protecting some trees here and some species there? Behind each of these efforts is a larger question that begins to show that the partisan 'us vs. them' narrative is full of false choices. The question is whether we can learn to live in balance with nature.
- CommentaryA shift in Islam – and beyond
What is the right balance between a living faith that embraces the changing times and the religious traditions and doctrines that are often millenniums old?
- CommentaryNew look, changing team for the Monitor
Every so often, I take this space to let you know about happenings at the Monitor.
- CommentaryThe power of losing
For two consecutive American presidential elections, many of the losers have seen the winner as illegitimate. Putting aside the merit of the claims, that broad fact speaks volumes.