All The Monitor's View
- Where the accent is on merit
Scotland’s new leader, the first Muslim to lead a Western European state, adds to a growing embrace of values over personal identity.
- In Iran and Israel, a march to equality
Protests in both countries against religious-based rule have won in their own way.
- In baseball’s new rules, sacrifice flies
The national pastime will pitch artistry over analytics, team play over individual glory.
- Turkish delight in unity to save democracy
As more elected leaders around the world turn autocratic, Turkey shows how opposition parties can put aside divisions to save basic rights and liberties.
- Breaking the fear of witchcraft in Africa
The African Union’s new guidelines for uprooting an entrenched source of fear and violence shed light on the value of empathy and kindness.
- Can integrity be taught? Just watch Ukraine.
To prepare for postwar reconstruction, the country promises to train officials in honesty and fairness.
- A court spells out what’s at stake in Ukraine
An arrest warrant for Russia’s president from the International Criminal Court signals universal justice must apply to abducted Ukrainian children.
- What drives the Saudi-Iran detente
Autocratic leaders in both countries face demands from youth for social liberties, with Saudi Arabia far ahead.
- Green energy from the grassroots
Citizen-led renewable projects in Europe are shaping a cleaner future.
- A bottom-up approach to authentic peace
Top-down solutions to violent conflicts often don’t last. More peace builders are now listening to local people’s indicators of what constitutes peace.
- Gender equality as a source of economic renewal
Sri Lanka’s many upheavals last year have led to new financial discipline and measures to uplift women, delighting foreign creditors and perhaps setting a model for the global debt crisis.
- One way to escape Russia’s orbit
Mass protests in Georgia against Russian-style political repression give that former Soviet state a taste of democratic harmony.
- Spotting sprouts of democracy
The world’s shift toward fewer liberties and rights may be bottoming out, according to Freedom House. Nigeria’s recent election shows the potential for progress.
- Why the high-fives for a high seas treaty
A 193-nation agreement to protect ocean life reflects decades of progress toward a vision of all life as a shared commons beyond state exploitation.
- A sure basis for workplace equality
New laws requiring wage disclosure are meant to promote equality between male and female employees. Yet a faster route might lie in fostering qualities from both genders.
- South Korea’s olive branch to Japan
The president’s plan to compensate wartime Korean victims starts with a recognition that any redress by Japan must be voluntary.
- Venezuela’s latent civic reserves
An autocrat’s harsh misrule and isolation have only strengthened a popular hunger for justice and equality.
- How women are defying despots
As leaders of recent mass protests in China, Russia, and Iran, women gained a “new understanding of female agency.”
- Building blocks for compassionate cities
Boston’s attempt to turn vacant lots and buildings into vibrant and affordable communities is a start for setting a new model for urban renewal.
- A win against Russia – outside Ukraine
Once close to Moscow, Serbia accepts a plan to end acrimony with Kosovo, signaling a desire to curb aggressive ethnic nationalism by peaceful means.