All The Monitor's View
- What Obama must see in Saudi Arabia
US-Saudi ties are not in the best shape, but President Obama should look to the emerging civic identity of Saudi youth, found in their digital life and demand for rights.
- A world free of drug abuse? The UN must keep trying.
A UN special assembly on drugs will try to rebuild a global consensus on drug policies. New treatments offer hope for abusers in being addiction-free. But anti-drug enforcement, while in need of reform, should not be reduced.
- The payoff in not paying off an official
A survey of global firms finds a trend in honesty: More corporations are experiencing fewer losses to corrupt competitors who are still willing to pay a bribe. It seems running a business with integrity in a corrupt environment can be profitable.
- Germany’s humane rush to integrate refugees
Chancellor Angela Merkel has helped stem the flow of migrants into Europe and now has a plan to integrate many in Germany. The plan offers both carrots and sticks to ensure ‘cohesion’ in German society.
- Good grades for girls’ education
With so much progress worldwide, the champions of better schooling for girls seek further gains. They have plenty of successful models and new sources of money.
- Echoes of Arab Spring in peace steps
A possible driver for cease-fires in Syria, Libya, and Yemen may be a high desire for freedom and equality among Arab youth. A new survey reveals their aspirations, five years since the Arab Spring.
- What a woman might do as world’s chief diplomat
The UN has begun its selection process to pick the next secretary-general. The winner will need feminine skills of leadership to help the global body reform itself and restore its peacemaking possibilities.
- Why the drop in income inequality?
Even as it rises in many countries, income inequality has fallen worldwide, a result of pro-poor trends in places from Africa to China. A better focus on growth, innovation, and greater opportunities can help countries close the income gap.
- The key skill of Libya’s UN-chosen leader
Known as a listener who builds consensus, Fayez al-Sarraj must win over warring factions, unite an army, defeat Islamic State, revive the economy, and stem the flow of refugees.
- Tale of a short war and a long dependency on oil
A four-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia points to a global need to help countries dependent on oil exports find new sources of wealth.
- California doesn't let a drought go to waste
Over the past year, the state has shown innovation and resilience in reducing water usage. It is setting an example for the world, in which most people experience severe water shortages.
- A global spotlight in Panama Papers
The release of documents from a Panama law firm, revealing hidden wealth of the world’s elite, reflects a global increase in demands for transparency in government and business.
- Structures of hope for a new Syria
As peace talks and a truce advance, new ideas are proposed to rebuild a post-war Syria. From the war-torn city of Homs, one woman offers useful advice.
- The little African country that could
Despite recent sectarian violence and harsh rule, the Central African Republic renews its democracy – and hope – with a newly elected president. It is a model for a continent drifting toward autocracy.
- Patience as a virtue in restarting a democracy
Myanmar’s first civilian president in half a century pleads for patience, a virtue that many leaders find useful when coupled with moral strength.
- For Europe, a light of truth in the Balkans
A guilty verdict of genocide for a leading figure in the 1990s Balkan Wars serves as a lesson for Europe as it struggles with mass violence today.
- A little-noticed antidote to terror
In a country noted for terrorist attacks, Pakistanis show an unusually hopeful response to the Easter bombing of a children’s playground.
- Retirees’ secret to happiness? Giving back
‘Helping people in need’ trumps ‘spending on me’ in a poll of seniors
- What AlphaGo’s win could mean
Artificial intelligence beat a human in the ancient game of go – and that’s OK.
- After the bombing: Brussels – and Europe – are ‘Boston strong’ too
These senseless bombings show a desperate Islamic State, which can only win if it provokes a hasty overreaction.