All The Monitor's View
In India rape protests, another public outbreak of moral conscienceProtests in India over a woman's rape and later death fit a new pattern of spontaneous, Internet-driven moral shock over a galling incident. From Tunisia to Russia to India, better-connected and urban people can more easily band together when their conscience is struck.
Taking choice out of personal healthAs more governments move to restrict personal choices as a way to cut costs, especially in health care, they can easily impinge on both liberty and alternative ideas about health.
Who forced a 'fiscal cliff' deal? Try foreign investors.Washington is now all too aware that foreign creditors and investors will punish it for any macroeconomic mismanagement. American competitiveness was at stake in the fiscal cliff negotiations.
For journalists and Internet, 2013 must not repeat 2012Record assaults on journalists in 2012 and official moves to censor the Internet show how much authoritarian regimes fear the truth. Perhaps in 2013, truth-tellers will start to win.
India gang rape: why women are needed as justice officialsMass protests in India after a vicious gang rape of a female student help put a spotlight on countries that need to have more women police and judges. Antirape laws are not enough.
Egypt's big lesson in democracyEgypt adopted a postrevolutionary constitution this week. But the Arab nation has only begun to understand that democracy isn't only majority rule.
Homes for the homeless: a smart investment in dignityDespite a recent rise in poverty, homelessness is down. One reason? Providing a residence for the homeless creates enough self-respect for them to deal with underlying issues.
Take steroids out of college footballAn in-depth investigation shows that despite avowals to the contrary, college football programs are rife with the use of illegal steroids. A tougher stand is needed.
The NRA call for armed guards in schoolsThe NRA's call for gun-carrying guards in schools shows it joins with other Americans in caring even more about children after the Sandy Hook shootings. But history also shows violence declines when children are taught how to counter violence by means other than violence – such as caring for others.
Kids and digital media: removing the fearsReports of Adam Lanza's war-game obsession and the new FTC rules on children's online privacy help refocus concerns on the effects of digital media on children. But parental anxiety can be channeled toward solutions.
Christmas in Newtown: restoring childlike innocenceA big Christmas tree in Newtown, Conn., has become a memorial site for the Sandy Hook children killed at their elementary school. Many faiths use a Christmas-like embrace of an innocent child to help them in troubled times and restore the promise of purity.
What Kerry, Hagel would bring to Obama diplomacyReports of Sen. John Kerry becoming Secretary of State, and Republican Chuck Hagel being tapped for Defense, hint at a new attempt to use 'soft power' in Obama's second term. But will it work?
A bridge for action after Sandy Hook shootingsAmericans were united over the weekend on the need for solutions to mass shootings like that at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Conn. Now they must also deal with their respective fears over the different solutions being proposed.
Newtown shootings: What to say to ourselvesThe Newtown shooting of 20 children and 7 adults may be the strongest reminder that each individual must find ways to help end these kinds of mass slaughter.
Putin's drive for Russian identityIn a big speech Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said Russians lack 'spiritual braces.' He joins other world leaders who recently made similar warnings about their people. Should governments, especially those with weak democratic credentials, be promoting moral values?
Why a US-EU trade pact would be historicChina's model of state-run capitalism needs a massive challenge from the two giant market economies. Obama must win a US-EU trade pact in his second term.
Shaping the world of 2030A US intelligence report to the president on global trends to the year 2030 is generally upbeat. But like any futuristic study, its foresight needs hindsight in the reading.
Why latest failure of global warming talks may be a successThe weak outcome of the climate change talks in Doha only add to the momentum toward solutions at the local level, where values on the common good are more easily shared.
How to avoid revenge killings in post-Assad SyriaThe end appears near for the Assad regime in Syria. The opposition and world powers must do more to prevent the kind of post-conflict revenge – mainly against Alawites – that could ricochet in the Middle East.
Look to Lincoln to solve 'fiscal cliff'As the Spielberg movie 'Lincoln' and many books about Abraham Lincoln reveal, solving difficult standoffs in Washington takes more than savvy politics and horse-trading. Lincoln had to first turn to deeper ideals that then helped him win allies.
