All The Monitor's View
Joining hands on migrationA US-Mexican agreement recognizes that solutions to the flow of migrants begin with improving conditions in Central America – and with working together on the problem.
Climate change action goes homeThe just-concluded COP24 conference in Poland took only a few modest steps forward. What each country does now will determine whether real progress can be made.
Navigating the giving season, with joyOne way to reverse a decline in volunteering and boost charity is to know better how to do both – and why.
What strips power from today’s emperorsChallenges to strong democratic leaders are common. In China, ruled by a ‘supreme leader,’ a pastor has challenged personal rule by pointing to the real source of power.
An unlikely place for women to help end a tragic warA new cease-fire in Yemen’s war required women at the table. For a country with the largest gender gap, this is a breakthrough for the whole Middle East.
Putin’s praise of a truth-telling dissidentFor the centennial of the birth of the late Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russia’s leader only highlights why those with ‘open eyes’ on official lies can alter history.
Global solutions on migration start at homeWhile many nations signed a global migration pact this week, the debate in most countries showed the need for an identity check, one that will determine the size of their welcome mat.
How to soften big conflicts in small waysA new democratic leader in Armenia is treading a special path by looking to end a tense standoff with Azerbaijan with a ‘people-oriented approach.’
Look who’s ponying up for climate changeMore private investors see gold in going green, a reflection of larger trends in financial institutions to invest in society’s broad goals.
For peace in Afghanistan, a new view of womenAs talks on a political settlement gain momentum, the Taliban seem to admit Afghans no longer accept archaic views about women.
In France, political climate changeMass 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 warHumanitarian 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 servantHis 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 valuesThe 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 aggressionUS 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 bayLawmakers 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 abstainA 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 assaultA 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 reformThe 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 orbitThe 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.
