All Commentary
The Monitor's ViewHome truths in new mortgage rulesNew regulations on home mortgages from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will raise ethical standards and lower risks. But they don't reduce government incentives that might create another housing bubble.
OpinionThe beauty of a carbon tax – and its exemption for the poorTaxing greenhouse gas pollution through a carbon tax lets the market, not government, pick the winners. Big polluters like electrical power plants would be encouraged to use cleaner energy. And a simple tax exemption could lower the costs passed on to poor Americans.
OpinionWhat legal education could do for a resilient AfghanistanAmericans need a more complex, realistic picture of Afghanistan. Such a picture shows that US efforts to support education and the development of Afghan civil society should not be abandoned. It also shows that these initiatives may require patience and persistence.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveHome: an angel entertained unawares
A Christian Science perspective: Finding a warm sense of home aboard a naval ship was difficult at first.
The Monitor's ViewCry for food in Syria may be opening for peaceThe UN warns it cannot feed some 1 million displaced Syrians, many in war zones with few bread supplies. A global response to this humanitarian crisis might help diffuse differences over political solutions.
OpinionPartisan gridlock? Not in IrelandThe drawn-out wrangling over the 'fiscal cliff' in Washington couldn’t have happened in Ireland. Getting a bill passed in Europe is a straightforward exercise for one simple reason: parliamentary democracy. But caution: Such a system also helped cause Europe's debt woes.
OpinionWhy I'm giving up my gunsWhile Piers Morgan and Alex Jones were having a gun control debate on CNN, I was having my own internal debate. I am an avid hunter, but the tragedy in Newtown, Conn. made me realize that as a gun-owner, I am unwittingly abetting the narrative of American violence.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveRising above the fray
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewWith Hagel at Defense, what would be America's 'special role'?America's historic identity as a people with a universal mission faces a new era in Obama's nomination of Chuck Hagel as defense secretary. Israel and even military cuts aren't the core issues. America's 'special role' is.
OpinionWhy Evangelicals are the new partners for immigration reformAdvocates for immigration reform should seek support from an unlikely source – evangelical Christians. Their political agenda is broadening as Hispanic congregants – documented and undocumented – increase and pastors speak of immigration as a religious concern.
Global ViewpointHow Asia and China can revive the West's waning institutionsA world adrift desperately needs global thinkers, most of all from Asia. Singapore's Kishore Mahbubani fits the bill with his new book, in which he calls for a more robust UN, IMF, and WTO – led by the emerging global powers. Let’s hope his optimism about this revival is justified.
- Global ViewpointHow Asia and China can revive the West's waning institutions
A world adrift desperately needs global thinkers, most of all from Asia. Singapore's Kishore Mahbubani fits the bill with his new book, in which he calls for a more robust UN, IMF, and WTO – led by the emerging global powers. Let’s hope his optimism about this revival is justified.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveWelcoming correction
A Christian Science perspective: Being corrected, especially when it feels divinely impelled, can lead to a new birth, a fresh start.
The Monitor's ViewChina censorship protest as 'living in truth'Protests erupt following a strike by journalists at a Chinese newspaper whose editorial on free speech was censored. Unlike most other protests in China, this one is about living in the truth.
OpinionTo deter extremists in Syria, Obama must heed lessons of Kosovo interventionAs President Obama watches Islamic extremists gain power in the chaos of the Syrian uprising against the Bashar al-Assad regime, he should consider the precedent of the US intervention in Kosovo – where extremists have been kept at bay and democracy is growing.
OpinionIsrael's 'self-defense' argument against Hamas holds no waterIsrael's ceasefire with Hamas is holding, but unless Israel completely lifts its blockade and includes Hamas in two-state negotiations, renewed rocket attacks from Gaza are likely. Should that happen, Israel would not be justified in arguing self-defense.
- A Christian Science PerspectiveRape: how to help heal the hurt and stop the attacks
A Christian Science perspective.
The Monitor's ViewIn India rape protests, another public outbreak of moral conscienceProtests in India over a woman's rape and later death fit a new pattern of spontaneous, Internet-driven moral shock over a galling incident. From Tunisia to Russia to India, better-connected and urban people can more easily band together when their conscience is struck.
OpinionDon't listen to the Chicken Littles: Obama made smart investments in green techA few falling acorns (Solyndra and A123) don't mean the sky is falling on clean technology. Far from it. The federal government’s track record on supporting green energy tech is an enviable one. And this investment is improving America’s energy, economic, and environmental fortunes.
Global ViewpointIslam is not the problem in EgyptMany conclude that religion is causing turmoil in Egypt. Islam is not the problem. The turmoil comes from the gap between expectations of speedy change by those who made the 2011 revolution and the slow process of dismantling the old way of life while building a new society.
