All The Monitor's View
- What post-ISIS Iraq can do for peace
Reports that Iraq wants to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia is another sign of how many Iraqis have learned from battling Islamic State that Sunni-Shiite rivalry must end.
- Solar eclipses as lessons in lifting shadows of hate
Like the darkness of an eclipse, the dark mood of hate in the United States, stirred by right-wing protests, must be seen as fleeting.
- Why the US demands China innovate, not steal
A US probe of China’s infringement on American patents comes with an expectation that China has the ingenuity to invent its way to greater prosperity. The biggest barrier: a fear of failure by its researchers.
- After Charlottesville, a calling out of claims on racial superiority
The strong reaction of many Americans to the Virginia tragedy helps show the false claims of white supremacists about skin color.
- A grass-roots model to counter words that incite
As the US and North Korea engage in a war of words, a new effort in Kenya shows how to train local peacemakers to guard against rhetoric that might incite acts of violence.
- The lesson of the Google firing for innovation
In an era of slow productivity, companies need greater diversity of thought to innovate. Workers who stereotype people and their qualities by sex only put limits on diversity of thinking.
- How North Korea wars with itself
The US must see through the rising nuclear threats and help North Koreans realize their regime is living a lie of self-sufficiency. No country is an island in an age of cooperation in markets, defense, and international norms.
- Kenya’s learning curve in democracy
Reforms since the tribal-fueled violence of the 2007 election should help Kenya set an example for a continent in need of fair and peaceful elections.
- Bearing up: How the US deters Russia
To counter Moscow’s aggression, whether in elections or in Ukraine, requires the same mix of deterrence, restraint, and patience that won the cold war.
- The UN’s listening tour in Libya
To piece this country back together and end its role in terrorism and migration to Europe, the United Nations has sent an envoy to listen to Libyans who want to reconcile. For many nations split apart – or forming – listening is a primary path to a peaceful outcome.
- Troubled Venezuela’s path to peace
As the Maduro regime loses legitimacy, the democratic opposition lays claim to it, even trying to form a parallel government. This contest can end if leaders understand the sources of legitimacy.
- A skillful decision on daily fantasy sports
As this gaming industry grows, more states ask if it is worth probing how much players rely on skill versus chance. A Massachusetts panel has given good advice.
- An Arab model for curbing domestic violence
A new law in Tunisia sets a regional standard by granting better protection for abused women. It reflects a steady shift in the Middle East toward gender equality.
- The payoff for society in rewarding whistle-blowers
A US program that pays for tips on company fraud helps highlight the role of employees as guardians of their firm's integrity.
- Taking the high road in a Himalayan hostility
India and China, two giants that cannot afford a war, are in a military standoff over a piece of Bhutan. Patient diplomacy will hopefully win the day.
- When Congress wields a tool of peace
Lawmakers are strongly bipartisan in support of new sanctions on Iran, Russia, and North Korea. The mixed record on sanctions requires Congress to be vigilant in tracking their impact.
- The prodigal Greeks return to financial markets
A bond sale shows how much Greece has reformed after it nearly went bankrupt and threatened the eurozone.
- What restores peace for Jerusalem’s Old City
Ending violence over the control of Islam's third-holiest site rests on a mutual appreciation by Jews and Muslims of the promise of peace in each other's religion.
- The bounty that heads off famine
East African countries battling hunger, the focus of a Monitor series this week, are learning that resilience lies in treating the poor as leaders, not victims, in defining their own solutions.
- Poland’s challenge to EU values
The ruling nationalist party is on track to end the independence of the courts, forcing both Poles and the European Union to reassert equality before the law. Such a democratic principle helps unite Europe against the kind of inequality of rights that ignites war.