All The Monitor's View
India’s swing in favor of girlsPublic outcry over the rape of a girl hints at a growing confidence to confront old attitudes toward women and girls. The confidence may come from a dramatic success in reducing child marriages.
Trump’s attack on Syria: a bias for hope?The pessimism that prevails after Trump degraded Syria’s chemical weapons reflects a wider pessimism about progress in human rights. But does the evidence support such naysayers. And are they defeating their own cause?
War in Syria. Gloom over Iran. Can Iraq provide hope?An election in Iraq shows how the Middle East might rise above divides over religion to embrace a unifying identity.
Did Paul Ryan leave them rolling in the aisles?The rest of Paul Ryan’s tenure as House speaker should be used to take a measure of his efforts to bring civility to politics, including how he helped members learn to laugh together.
Hungary plants two kinds of seedsEven as a tilted election further erodes its democracy, Hungary also sees a rise in corruption. The latter trend will someday help restore full rights and liberties.
A creative solution to the US-China trade disputeAs the world’s two largest economies slap new tariffs on each other, they also are forced to look at their common interest in nurturing innovation. That may help drive both to a truce.
A chemical attack felt round the worldThe reaction to Syria’s latest use of chemical weapons shows humanity’s steady if uneven embrace of universal rights, such as the right to life for innocent civilians. Those rights, enshrined 70 years ago by the UN, need both protection and celebration.
How the #MeToo movement speaks to he-menThe era of the strongman needs the era of #MeToo and its emphasis on lifting the views of men about their identity.
Cybersecurity may be beating cyber fearDespite the drumbeat of data breaches, such as Facebook’s, the good news is that companies and governments are putting security first, according to a new survey.
An election so normal it’s a benchmarkMost Latin Americans will vote for a president this year, and Costa Rica has already set a standard by resisting populism and social media polarization in its April 1 election.
Yemen’s women as warriors of peaceAmid the tragedy of Yemen’s long war and the loss of men, women are being forced into new roles. Foreign aid helps many rebuild their lives and the country’s social fabric.
What to make of a North Korean apologyIn a country whose leaders are portrayed as infallible, a recent apology by a top official may help soften coming talks with the US and South Korea.
A guide to watching Arab electionsEgypt’s sham election doesn’t deserve as much attention as a real one this May in an Arab nation that embraces liberty of conscience.
Africa’s second liberationWhen most of the continent’s nations sign up to create a free-trade zone, it signals more than a business transaction. Africa is sharing values of trust and equality.
Why Facebook must ‘like’ ethical investorsAfter news broke of Facebook’s misuse of personal data, social capitalists on Wall Street helped bring down the stock price of this ‘surveillance capitalist.’ Ethical investing is rewriting rules for what are ‘good’ profits.
The West’s real struggle with MoscowThe best response to Russia’s many provocations, such as the attempted murder of an ex-spy, is to reach the Russian people with a message that their identity relies on universal values such as liberty, not fear of others or notions of civilizational greatness.
Latin America gets a scrubbingPeru becomes the latest country to see a leader taken down by corruption scandal. It will also soon host a regional summit. The theme: clean governance.
Europe backs Britain – and itselfAfter the attempted killing of civilians in Britain with a Russian nerve agent, the EU backs London and plans actions against the Kremlin. The Continent’s solidarity is a measure of its democratic values.
Trump's action on China helps all inventorsIn punishing China for patent theft, the president claims only a benefit for the US. But the action also affirms global rules on intellectual property that help nurture discoveries for all.
A Saudi leader’s test of moderationThe crown prince’s visit to the US puts a spotlight on his claim of ending the country’s past hate-filled ideology and instead embrace a ‘moderate Islam.’
