All The Monitor's View
- Scotland’s big decision
A Sept. 18 referendum on independence raises questions about diversity and democracy.
- Supermoons and beyond
Late summer has rewarded sky-watchers with visual wonders. But there’s even more out there to ponder.
- Redefining age in aging societies
To keep ahead of an aging society, Britain now has an 'older workers' champion.' The big task, as more people in advanced nations put off retirement, is to shift attitudes about what is 'old.'
- The world stake in Khmer Rouge convictions
Global progress in seeking justice after mass atrocities gained a step with the first verdict against senior Khmer Rouge leaders.
- State sovereignty, up for grabs
By encroaching on others' territories, China, Russia, and Islamic terrorist armies challenge the norms of state sovereignty. How should the world respond?
- What Israelis, Palestinians expect from the world but not each other
The third war between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza reveals how much each side has little empathy for each other even as they seek empathy from the world for their civilian suffering.
- The real leaders at the Obama-African summit
President Obama's summit with African leaders mainly focuses on business ties. Yet the continent's outsized youth population may really determine Africa's future.
- How calm can counter Ebola
Health officials say they must act as much to calm fears of Ebola as to contain the outbreak. Media-driven hysteria about Ebola doesn't help.
- Disarm Gaza? Why Israel's idea deserves a look.
For this Israel-Gaza war, Hamas relied on better rockets and tunnels. Now Israel won't settle for a truce without a plan to disarm Gaza. Are there precedents for this idea to work?
- In anti-graft probe, China toys with rule of law
By charging a former head of internal security, China's Communist Party suggests that no top leader is immune from the law. Will it now also accept that the party itself should be held accountable?
- As persecution of faithful rises, so does the religious response
Even as reports show a global rise in restrictions on religion, those of faith are defending those of other faiths. This helps confirm why freedom of religion is a universal right.
- Climate-smart farmers break new ground
More farmers seem more open to new practices, leading to to higher crop yields, or doing more with less. The limits in agriculture are fading as farmers show greater willingness for today's innovation.
- To end Hamas-Israel wars, deal with the mutual despair
Despair during this third Hamas-Israel war is so high on both sides that despair itself needs to be addressed. Recognizing it as a shared problem helps not only as a point of empathy but can dispel the notion of despair as destiny.
- Across battlelines of faith in Mideast, acts of harmony
Three prominent leaders – two Shiite ayatollahs and a Palestinian scholar – defy religious intolerance with bold acts of understanding toward the 'enemy.'
- Big hearts toward Central America's child migrants
The surge of child migrants over the US border may only continue if Americans don't open their hearts to the countries of origin – Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
- High hopes for honesty in Indonesia
The Indonesian presidential election brings a fresh leader with a record of clean governance, something this young Asian democracy has been struggling for.
- Why the chips are down for Internet gambling
Three states jumped into online gaming last year with high hopes. But so far their take is very low. The inherent problems in this addictive form of gambling should give pause to other states and to Congress if they are tempted to follow suit.
- How to honor those on MH17
The Ukraine conflict finally touched the world with the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17. Now the world can honor the victims of MH17 by seeing such conflicts in a new light – as ones that need leaders with the humility to know they cannot always control the violence they unleash.
- California's big scare over water 'scarcity'
California plans to impose $500 fines – daily – for anyone violating water bans, such as overwatering lawns. Such threats run against new thinking about water as abundantly renewable.
- The great lesson from Israel-Hamas wars
The third major conflict between Hamas and Israel reveals the heightened moral concern for protecting innocent civilians in war.