All The Monitor's View
Feeding and clothing ourselves wiselyHuge amounts of water, chemicals, and fuel are used to produce food and clothing. Finding new ways to make better use of what has already been grown or manufactured conserves these precious resources.
Stepping up against religious intoleranceA State Department report says governments are tightening laws on religious observance. But it also notes encouraging cases where members of one religion have protected those of another.
Muslim-American women step forwardA rising Minnesota politician and a fencer at the Rio Olympics are changing public perceptions.
The National Parks at 100Americans agree that these special places hold immense value. But how to pay to preserve them remains a challenge.
Music can soothe a sultry summerJoining others in song or dance may lift one’s sense of well-being, a recent study suggests. So sing (or dance) on.
For Africa, a lesson about identity politicsVoters in South Africa gave the ruling African National Congress a sharp rebuke for presuming it can be reelected as the natural leader of the black majority. The ANC must return to Nelson Mandela’s goal of a nonracial society with equal opportunities.
What’s not a game in Rio OlympicsAs host to the 2016 Games, Brazil hopes to both rebrand itself abroad and improve its own society. The Games remain a force for good, and each Olympics leaves its own legacy.
A leap for Japan’s women – and its economyTokyo elected its first female governor, another sign of Japan’s slow progress to revive the economy by encouraging more women in the workplace.
Alabama can lead by rejecting a lotteryAs one of the few states without a lottery, Alabama may soon vote to start one as a revenue fix for a fiscal fiasco. Yet national data show lotteries are a tax on the poor. States can’t rely on faith in luck when they must invest in talent.
Britain’s answer to angry votersAs in the US election campaign, British voters showed their dislike of globalization in opting out of the European Union. Now a new prime minister seeks to restore trust in globalization’s prime agents: corporations.
A Norway gift that would move mountainsTo honor Finland’s independence anniversary, Norway may give it a mountain peak along their border. The gift, while a small gesture, symbolizes a kind of peace that may keep land-grabbing bully nations at bay.
The Fed’s search for breakout growthAmerica’s central bank, like other big financial institutions, seeks fresh ideas to end the ‘new normal’ of mediocre economic growth. Breaking up old models is a good first step.
Islamic State’s failing ‘war of religion’After Islamic State claimed credit for the killing of a French Catholic priest, leaders of major faiths gathered to counter this attempt to incite Muslims and Christians against each other. Peace is the norm between religions.
Mercy for the corrupt who come clean?The US and Tunisia are each testing whether leniency toward individuals or businesses that are open about their corruption might lead to less corruption. Confession can be a shorter path to reconciliation.
Germany's response to mass violenceFour recent attacks on the public, some with links to Islamic State, have raised fears but also calls not to allow fear to create an overreaction.
A bright spot in a dull global economyAs major economies falter, India takes the lead with the world’s fastest growth. It can lure investors with its relative peace and certainty.
Africa’s step to be a continent of peaceWith its decision to intervene militarily in South Sudan’s conflict, the African Union shows it may yet live up to its goal of creating a continent of peace by 2020.
The exhausted American voter: Ready for a change?With a polarization perhaps at a peak in politics, Americans may be fed up – not just with ‘the system’ but their own acrimony. Hitting bottom in political fatigue may have its benefits.
Why Melania Trump may have liked Michelle Obama’s speechMs. Trump’s near-repetition of the first lady’s words suggests the two agree on an approach to education that views children in a whole new light.
How Turkey’s failed coup was democracy’s successThe forces for democracy, both within Turkey and worldwide, stood up to the military plotters. A global infrastructure for freedom makes its harder for would-be strongmen to succeed.
