All Commentary
Global ViewpointEurope must fix its leaning Tower of BabelThose who want to preserve Europe's unity should not dismiss nationalist sentiments or frustration over austerity policies. Europe must forge a common identity that leaves room for diversity while delivering opportunity and security through a strong but limited European government.
- Readers RespondReaders Write: How US must deal with North Korea; Sex trafficking close to home
Letters to the Editor for the June 3, 2013 weekly print magazine:
The Obama administration should use soft power with North Korea, but Kim Jong-un is also unfortunately underestimated by the US and South Korea.
Many Americans might be surprised to know that sex trafficking is a problem in their country. This is a grim reality, but it does not have to be our future.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveThe power of gratitude
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's View'Breakthrough' in Israeli-Palestinian conflict?In a surprise opportunity for peace, a few hundred business leaders in Israel and Palestinian areas join up to demand their governments make a deal. Unlike other grass-roots efforts, this one has both clout and the courage of conscience.
OpinionProtect the watchdog press – from ObamaMore than the Benghazi or IRS scandals, Americans should be alarmed about the Obama administration’s investigations of journalists. Attorney General Eric Holder met off-the-record with some media groups (others boycotted). They spoke of the probes' chilling effect on reporters.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveWhen I heard a whale breathe
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewAmericans see religion in decline yet want more of it. What's up with that?A Gallup poll shows people see less religious influence today, but they also say America would be better with more religion. Such attitudes reflect the social times more than personal faith. They also point to religion's endurance.
OpinionUS should replace drone strikes in Pakistan with outreach to tribal areasThe Pakistani Taliban's vow to avenge the death of its No. 2 leader – killed by a US drone strike Wednesday – and boycott government peace efforts shows the ineffective nature of US drone policy. The US must stop the strikes and build up tribal regions in Pakistan and other countries.
Vacation: nothing betterThe newest trend in time off doesn't involve tweeting from Tahiti, competing in a triathlon, or climbing Mount Everest. The newest trend is unhooking, powering down, and reconnecting -- with family, friends, your own backyard, and even that little inner voice.
+
South Korea's amazing riseAlmost out of nowhere -- after a devastating war, the near ruin of the 1990s Asian financial crisis, and the constant threats of annihilation from its nemesis to the north -- South Korea has moved into the first ranks of innovative, economically confident nations.
OpinionAssad ups use of chemical weapons in Syria – with impunitySyrian President Bashar al-Assad is boosting his military with Russian anti-aircraft missiles and, lately, a disturbing increase in the reported use of chemical weapons. With no US intervention, the strategy is having its desired effect as rebels announce they will not take part in peace talks.
OpinionCuts to US national parks strike at America's characterRalph Waldo Emerson's Harvard commencement speech 175 years ago celebrated nature as a special source of American identity. His views are worth revisiting today as the federal budget sequester threatens national parks – wellsprings of our civic health.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveStanding still
A Christian Science perspective: The power of stillness in healing.
The Monitor's ViewWorld-class tax evaders need a global responseWith Apple, Google, Amazon and other multinationals in the hot seat for their tax tactics, world leaders need to focus on transparency in tax policies and curbing the global race to cut corporate tax rates.
OpinionSyria's future tied to freedom for captured Christian leadersTurkey and the US State Department must make the release of two captured Christian archbishops in Syria a top priority. At stake are not just their lives, or even the fate of Syrian Christians, but the fate of any hope of tolerance and pluralism in a post-Assad Syria – and the region as a whole.
OpinionHow Obama should work with business to combat China cyberspyingIf the US wishes to stop Chinese economic cyber-espionage, it will need to increase the costs and reduce the benefits to China of such activities. US government actions are important, but the key players in this game sit in the private sector. A true public-private partnership is needed.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveThe need to smell the roses
A Christian Science perspective: Scrubbing a bathroom became the beginning of a major career move that changed this writer's life.
The Monitor's ViewWhy US must stop Russian missiles for SyriaPutin's decision to send S-300 missiles to Syria shows an amoral strategic move by Russia. It also shows up a lack of Western moral concern for the slaughter in Syria.
Global ViewpointSchroeder and Delors: Unity is as important as reforms in EuropeThere must always be a correlation in Europe between the willingness to engage in structural reforms on the one hand and the willingness to show solidarity on the other. We need structural reforms. But we must also add growth components to the austerity program.
- Global ViewpointSchroeder and Delors: Unity is as important as reforms in Europe
There must always be a correlation in Europe between the willingness to engage in structural reforms on the one hand and the willingness to show solidarity on the other. We need structural reforms. But we must also add growth components to the austerity program.
