All The Monitor's View
- In France, political climate change
Mass riots against fuel price hikes opened the eyes of leaders that non-climate issues such as poverty and fairness in carbon taxes must come first.
- Pauses for peace that may end Yemen’s war
Humanitarian gestures by both sides in the conflict, just before talks expected in Sweden, hint at a recognition of the principles that set limits on violence and protect the innocent.
- Bush as the necessary model of a public servant
His long career from military pilot to president leaves a legacy of service badly needed in an era of distrust of public institutions.
- Poland rediscovers EU values
The ruling party’s reversed itself on expelling judges – and rule of law – thus avoiding a split with the European Union. Poles decided that constitutional principles are part of Europe’s project in peace.
- An ideal strategy toward China’s aggression
US scholars of China who once hoped for its peaceful rise now advocate ‘constructive vigilance’ – one based on transparency, integrity, and reciprocity.
- The power in Ukraine that keeps Russia at bay
Lawmakers in Kiev worried less about further Russian attacks than the president’s call for far-reaching martial law and its potential erosion of democratic norms and ideals.
- To keep youth from gambling, ask those who abstain
A British survey not only audits a rising problem but probes the moral reasoning of the majority of young people who do not gamble.
- A big #MeToo moment against gender-based assault
A year since this hashtag movement, rallies around the world help signal a shift in attitudes on equality and safety for women and girls.
- A first step toward prison reform
The current lame-duck session of Congress provides an optimum time to pass sensible changes in federal prison law and show Americans that bipartisan legislation is still possible.
- 20 years in orbit
The construction of the International Space Station began two decades ago. It’s been not only an engineering marvel but a marvel of international cooperation as well.
- A Mexican plan to cut homicides by doing good
The incoming president, who says ‘Evil needs to be faced with good,’ lays out a softer approach to crime, one the US should support.
- A grace-full Thanksgiving
A holiday that inspires not only an ‘attitude of gratitude’ but deeds of kindness and charity is truly worth celebrating.
- A legal takedown of genocide
A verdict against two high-level Khmer Rouge leaders helps spread the application of human-rights law and could prevent such atrocities.
- The FDA shields youths from vaping
The agency’s proposed rules aim to reverse an alarming spike in use of electronic cigarettes among teens. They also declare the need to guard the innocence of youth.
- A key ingredient in Amazon’s selection process
Whether it be a tech giant or the federal government, the best approach in targeting big investment in one place is to ensure the local community has social cohesion and common vision.
- California’s fires as both tragedy and lesson
As strategies toward wildfires have evolved, so has the understanding of how humans can fit into the natural order.
- Why did so many young people vote?
The unusually high turnout for a midterm election may be driven by better civic education, especially the hands-on kind that instills lifelong activism instead of cynicism and indifference.
- Germany's learning curve on immigration
Perhaps the US can learn as Germany’s leading party holds a sober debate over the topic in picking a replacement for Angela Merkel.
- The new Congress can shed old habits
The midterm election left Capitol Hill more divided than before. Rather than gridlock, lawmakers must try to discern together the ideals that unite Americans.
- Ukraine needs the long arm of the law
Despite the West’s efforts to curb corruption in this pivotal country, the killing of an anti-corruption activist shows the need for better tools to help Ukrainians achieve clean governance.