All The Monitor's View
Is nuclear power really the core of Iran's identity?Iran's new president, Hasan Rouhani, woos the US with a plea to acknowledge Iran's alleged core identity in its nuclear program. President Obama can point to Iran's conflicting identities as the country's source of weakness.
Ending the hypersexualization of girlsFrance's move to ban beauty pageants for underage girls won't stop a trend toward Miley Cyrus-style sexual exhibitionism. Girls need to learn values that reinforce their worth beyond beauty and sex.
Best answer yet to Navy Yard shooting: Starbucks' declarationA day after the Navy Yard shooting, Starbucks stands up for customers to be free of guns in stores. Such declarations to protect the innocent can help change the gun-safety debate.
How Egypt's Coptic Christians can keep the Arab Spring freshViolent attacks on Egypt's large minority of Coptic Christians since July have pushed this ancient indigenous church to respond with love and forgiveness. Such behavior, noted by moderate Muslims, can be the basis for the equality necessary to revive Egypt's democracy.
Awaiting Syria's repentance on chemical weaponsObama's new 'partnership' with Syria to eliminate its chemical weapons under a US-Russian agreement will need evidence that Assad will think twice before using such types of weapons again on civilians.
A German election – and leadership style – worth watchingGermany's Sept. 22 elections seem set to return Angela Merkel for a third term. Her leadership style has become indispensable to Europe's future. Why are her qualities of character so effective?
US-Russia talks on Syria: A balance of ideals, interestsIn the US-Russia talks on Syria's chemical weapons, the two countries may clash over Moscow's interests and American ideals. Such disputes can be resolved, as US history shows.
Obama's global 'norm' on chemical weapons in SyriaPresident Obama made a strong pitch to Americans to join him in enforcing nonuse of chemical weapons. His methods – either by missiles or diplomacy – may be in dispute. But his goal fits a trend against mass and indiscriminate violence.
India rape verdict: A step toward freedom from sexual violenceA guilty verdict in India for four rapists marks the world's slow but steady progress toward ensuring a woman's right to bodily integrity. New studies give hope that societies will see that rape is not a fact of life.
Why listen to Obama's speech on Syria?President Obama's speech on Tuesday about a strike on Syria deserves a good listen by Americans. He asked Congress for support and welcomes alternative views. Good leadership today requires listening all around.
Mexico's reforms are key to US immigration reformSurprising and historic political changes in Mexico hold the prospect of reducing the American fear of future waves of illegal migrants across the border.
Giving the hook to college hookup cultureCollege students have less sex with fewer partners than a generation ago, a new study finds. This should free students of the pressure to conform to a popular narrative.
Will a blow on Syria be a blow for justice?As Congress votes whether to approve a strike on Syria, it must also decide the 'just' means of a US operation. A war should be conducted in proportion to its goals.
G20 summit's bright consensus on tax evasionSyria may be the corridor topic at the G20 summit, but the group's amazing consensus on battling tax avoidance will be its historic moment.
In vote on Syria strike, Americans face moment of truth for 'values that define us'As Congress preps for a vote on a possible US punitive strike on the Syria regime, Obama frames the issue as one about 'values that define us.' That throws the question squarely on defining the American identity.
Obama plan to rank colleges: Will it raise thinking skills?Congress appears lukewarm about President Obama's proposal to rank colleges and universities. One reason may be that it fails to measure what today's employers want: Graduates with higher-order thinking skills.
Obama and King's 'Dream' speechThe power of great oratory to bring about change has shifted since Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. President Obama and recent US presidents have struggled to adjust to new demands for different styles of leadership.
What Obama must tell Americans about a US strike on SyriaAirstrikes on Syria would be meant to defend international law protecting civilians from chemical weapons. Yet can President Obama say no civilians will be killed in US 'surgical' strikes?
Is the Yosemite fire a good fire?As California's Rim Fire bears down on Yosemite National Park and threatens power and water for San Francisco, the state must once again reassess the values that humans place on nature.
Syria jumps the red lineThe almost certain use of chemical weapons by Syria makes stronger international action nearly unavoidable.
