All The Monitor's View
- Toward a deliberative China
A consolidation of power under Xi Jinping puts a focus on a political faction that prefers humble listening of public grievances.
- Chile’s search for harmony in the middle
Voter rejection of a proposed new constitution has encouraged political rivals to seek unity over political division.
- The very model of a modern major economy
While China hides economic data, Taiwan shines in openness by, among other acts of democratic values, releasing accurate and timely information.
- A nod to norms on protecting the innocent
A groundbreaking verdict against a French company for aiding terrorists fits a wider trend reaffirming law protecting civilians.
- California’s wrinkled brow at sports gambling
Voters have doubts about ballot measures in November to legalize sports betting. One reason may be how lotteries may have changed concepts on the role of luck in success and wealth.
- The force of peaceful tactics
In their struggles for democracy, activists in Sudan and Venezuela show that a commitment to nonviolence can nudge brutal regimes toward peace talks.
- From China to Iran, shoutouts for freedom
Autocrats who forcibly define what’s good for the people are seeing protesters demanding civic liberties to decide how they’re governed.
- In Haiti, peace starts with listening
Amid a spike in gang violence and a political crisis, civil society groups seek a return to stability that starts with humility.
- The real victors of an Israel-Lebanon deal
A pact that resolves a territorial dispute and access to gas wealth required a shift in Lebanon toward a governance of equality and rights.
- Midterm elections as democracy’s renewal
Voter sentiments ahead of the U.S. vote in November reflect a firm conviction in honest and open self-government.
- A Nobel Peace Prize’s universal aim
By honoring rights activists in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, this year’s prize challenges the notion of a world divided by civilizations.
- Dignity set free in Latin America
- About those nuclear threats by Russia
Both global norms on protecting the innocent and military deterrents by the U.S. may be restraining the Kremlin from pulling the nuclear trigger.
- Softer approaches to jihadi threats
Africa’s struggle against Islamic extremism shows fresh thinking on nonmilitary approaches.
- Russia’s religious war in Ukraine
Kremlin money for the Russian Orthodox Church in eastern Ukraine reflects a larger struggle over the role of religion in national identities.
- Brazil votes for more than a president
The Oct. 2 election may show that political intimidation and fear are not equal to a public desire for honesty in vote counting and democratic rule of law.
- American school kids are doing all right
A Harvard study finds universal gains in math and reading over 50 years, pointing to the innate nature of intelligence.
- Big hearts can help win a war
Despite close ties to Russia, Kazakhstan defies the Kremlin by welcoming Russians fleeing a roundup of conscripts for the Ukraine war.
- Redefining Ethiopia in midst of war
After two years of war between the government and a rebellious state, civil society groups seek a unifying identity forged through shared values instead of conflict.
- What Iran protesters really want
Anger over mandatory hijabs has shifted to challenging the theological pillar for clerical rule.