All Commentary
- Readers RespondReaders Write: Consequences of climate change; US attitude adjustment on wildfires
Letters to the Editor for the September 2, 2013 weekly print edition:
Wildfires, natural gas and fracking, and Arctic development are closely linked to climate disruption, but the articles on those issues failed to mention that key connection.
Solutions to wildfires must address entitled-to-be-saved-from-myself attitudes in the US. If we continue like this, people will build on the lips of volcanoes and then demand to be saved.
OpinionBack to School Night? Let's talk about your child's weddingAt Back to School Night, I'm going to ask parents to use a different lens to view their children's education. Instead of looking ahead to college or a job, I'll ask them to look back from their child's wedding. What qualities should their children express then? How do we shape those now?
Seven reasons US intervention in Syria is a bad idea Following Bashar al-Assad's alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, pro-interventionists say America has a moral obligation to get involved. While understandable, this view is wrong for seven key reasons, both moral and pragmatic.- A Christian Science PerspectiveUncovering truth in Syria
A Christian Science perspective: How underwater mines were discovered and defused during World War II, and some pertinent biblical insights shed light on how our prayers can help the situation in Syria.
The Monitor's ViewObama plan to rank colleges: Will it raise thinking skills?Congress appears lukewarm about President Obama's proposal to rank colleges and universities. One reason may be that it fails to measure what today's employers want: Graduates with higher-order thinking skills.
OpinionUS must take substantial military action in Syria nowThe United States has a moral and legal obligation to protect Syrian civilians from the murderous Assad regime and help end Syria's bloody civil war. Military action is supported by international law, historical precedent, and humanitarian mandates.
Global ViewpointBo Xilai trial was a satire, but still helped to further rule of law in ChinaIn an interview, He Weifang, one of China’s most pre-eminent advocates of the rule of law and judicial independence, says the trial of former politburo member Bo Xilai was a satire – but it still helped to advance rule of law in China.
- Global ViewpointBo Xilai trial was a satire, but still helped to further rule of law in China
In an interview, He Weifang, one of China’s most pre-eminent advocates of the rule of law and judicial independence, says the trial of former politburo member Bo Xilai was a satire – but it still helped to advance rule of law in China.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveTwitter prayers
A Christian Science perspective: Sincere tweets for prayer are like little candles joined together to reject the darkness.
The Monitor's ViewObama and King's 'Dream' speechThe power of great oratory to bring about change has shifted since Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. President Obama and recent US presidents have struggled to adjust to new demands for different styles of leadership.
OpinionHow Martin Luther King, Jr. changed my lifeFive years after Dr. King's 'I Have a Dream' speech, I heard him speak at a church in Memphis. I had come with my gang to rob ladies' purses. But I left a new man. I was not the first to be transformed by King, and I should not be the last.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveParents' role in back to school
A Christian Science perspective.
OpinionDoes President Obama fulfill MLK's dream?For all the meaning that will be on display when President Obama commemorates a seminal moment in US history today, it will be a largely symbolic moment that does not bring the change that the March on Washington demanded. This may have to be enough.
The Monitor's ViewWhat Obama must tell Americans about a US strike on SyriaAirstrikes on Syria would be meant to defend international law protecting civilians from chemical weapons. Yet can President Obama say no civilians will be killed in US 'surgical' strikes?
OpinionHow US can use aid to nudge EgyptAmerican influence in Egypt is dwindling. But the US could still support democracy there by temporarily freezing military aid during the transitional period to be reinstated if the transition includes the Muslim Brotherhood and the new constitution protects minorities.
Global ViewpointUS strike on Syria would be illegal 'act of war'The Obama administration is right to be cautious about US intervention in Syria. For the US to launch a military strike without UN Security Council sanction would constitute an illegal 'act of war' against a sovereign state. (The Kosovo precedent cannot make an illegal act legal.)
- Global ViewpointUS strike on Syria would be illegal 'act of war'
The Obama administration is right to be cautious about US intervention in Syria. For the US to launch a military strike without UN Security Council sanction would constitute an illegal 'act of war' against a sovereign state. (The Kosovo precedent cannot make an illegal act legal.)
Global ViewpointAmerica is not the world's policeman – in Syria or IraqIn an interview, Hans Blix (chief UN arms inspector for Iraq from 2000-2003) says: If US military action in Syria is all about 'punishing' Bashar al-Assad to satisfy public and media opinion without even hearing the UN inspectors report, it will be a sad day for international legality.
- Global ViewpointAmerica is not the world's policeman – in Syria or Iraq
In an interview, Hans Blix (chief UN arms inspector for Iraq from 2000-2003) says: If US military action in Syria is all about 'punishing' Bashar al-Assad to satisfy public and media opinion without even hearing the UN inspectors report, it will be a sad day for international legality.
- A Christian Science PerspectivePrayers for Egypt and Syria
A Christian Science perspective: Why there's hope for peace in Egypt and Syria.
