All The Monitor's View
- Prison reform: Seize the moment
Both parties realize that the exploding prison population is unsustainable. Sentencing reform is one step in the right direction.
- FDA and e-cigarettes: Nicotine addiction must not be the norm
The Food and Drug Administration will likely decide soon how to regulate e-cigarettes, the electronic devices that deliver a vapor of nicotine (along with some toxins). The agency must assume people do not want to be addicted to this powerful drug.
- Fixing America's subsidized homeownership
This fall, Congress and President Obama will debate how much taxpayers should still back homeownership. But first they need to ask if owning a home leads to well-being.
- Far more than Snowden led Obama to cancel Putin summit
An assertion of values more than interests are behind President Obama's cancellation of a September summit with President Vladimir Putin. The US simply doesn't see world diplomacy as Putin does.
- Bottom line, disabled people might be better employees
Walgreens and now a report by the National Governors Association show businesses can benefit by seeing disabled workers not as charity cases but employees with uncommon qualities that can enhance profits.
- Buds of hope for US-Iran nuclear talks
With a new, more moderate president, Iran trades signals with US over possible openings for nuclear talks. Each side needs to first build trust. The next two months will be critical to find peace paths.
- What Obama should see in his Federal Reserve nominee
With President Obama due to nominate a new chief of the Federal Reserve soon, he and the Senate must focus on what today's elected leaders often miss: a long-term perspective.
- Snowden asylum in Russia: What now for US?
With Russia granting asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden, Americans now have time to sort out the apparent clash of values – liberty versus. security – that his actions represent. If only he had found another way to help resolve that clash.
- Crackdown on Egypt protests: What's really at stake
The Egyptian military's order to end the Muslim Brotherhood protests is the latest slide toward violence and chaos. Egypt must right itself by balancing order and freedom.
- Can the Senate's negotiating style save the day?
Two sets of secret talks seeking a 'grand bargain' – between Israelis and Palestinians and between Obama and the GOP on fiscal issues – involve current and former US senators. Can that chamber's style bring solutions?
- China tries a 'good Samaritan' law
The Chinese city of Shenzhen joins other governments around the world in passing a law that tries to remove the fear of legal liability in helping others in emergency distress. Rescuing others out of universal love shouldn't be held back by fear.
- After Zimbabwe election, Mugabe needs a way out
The Zimbabwe election on July 31 appears rigged and could lead to a repeat crisis like that after a 2008 vote. The African nation needs a peaceful transition through some form of forgiveness.
- Step up solutions for Syrian war's symptoms: refugees
As the rate of Syrians fleeing the war rises, so must the global response. The war's causes may not yet be solvable – killings now top 100,000. But its symptoms can be.
- How 'play ball' can also mean 'play fair'
After Major League Baseball suspended Brewers' star outfielder Ryan Braun for violating drug rules, other MLB players and the players union reacted with surprising support for restoring integrity to pro ball. That's a welcome shift for honest sport.
- What will drive Israelis, Palestinians to talks
With Secretary John Kerry confident of talks starting soon, the new imperatives in the US and Middle East can help drive a peace deal between Israel and Palestinian leaders.
- Saving children's innocence from Internet porn
In a bold move, British Prime Minister David Cameron strikes a welcome balance between Internet freedom and society's hope to protect children from Internet pornography and the child-murderers who act on it.
- Japan's election rings beyond its shores
Sunday's election results in Japan give Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a big political boost to push more economic reforms that may help Japan become an engine for global growth. The world needs a healthier Japan.
- A dubious drive to legalize online gambling
A Senate hearing focused on regulating Internet gambling – even though it remains banned interstate by Congress. Such backdoor maneuvers toward legalization only reveal the commercial interests pushing this wrongheaded move.
- Why Holder's probe of 'stand your ground' laws stands out
US Attorney General Eric Holder said after the George Zimmerman verdict that Justice will take a 'hard look' at the many 'stand your ground' state laws, such as Florida's. Such laws need challenging as they reverse history's path away from killing.
- What Senate filibuster deal tells young democracies like Egypt's
The Senate filibuster deal avoids the severe political backlash of the 'nuclear option' – for now. It recognizes the filibuster's historic role in protecting minority interests, a lesson for newly democratic countries like Egypt.