Christian Science Monitor | Commentary

Montana's challenge to 'super PACs'

Montana's high court challenges the moral basis for the US Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling that spawned super PACs. The high court needs to rebalance free speech vs. democracy.

India's support for Iran threatens its US relationship and global leadership role

India's statement that it will continue to purchase oil from Iran is a major setback for the US attempt to isolate the Iranian government over the nuclear issue. It's also bitterly disappointing news for those of us who have championed a close relationship with India.

Two cheers for super PACs

Super PACs aren’t the constitution-eating monsters critics have made them out to be. In fact, they engage voters in the democratic process. So why only two cheers? Loopholes prevent full transparency on where these groups get their funding. But Congress can fix that.

Millennial generation: What's love got to do with it?

Each generation approaches courtship and marriage differently. But even Generation Y, which is reticent about going to the altar, is looking for the same thing: a deep and fulfilling relationship.

Obama's needed rapport with China's Xi

Xin Jinping will be in power for a decade, so his visit to the US must establish a trust that can help smooth growing differences and prevent confrontations.

Outrage over Egypt's arrest of NGO workers, but US would have done the same

The outrage over Egypt's arrest of 43 NGO workers, at least 16 of whom are American, is understandable and well deserved. But it also speaks to a little acknowledged paradox: These organizations are conducting democracy-building work that would never be tolerated in the US.

Tesla SUV with wings or not, we should kill the electric car

Environmental groups are cheering: Tesla unveiled its newest fleet of electric vehicles this weekend, and California recently tightened its emissions standards. I was once enthusiastic about electric cars, too – as a solution to our environmental and energy challenges. I was wrong.

Readers Write: Kids don't need fancy toys; Voters need ID

Letters to the Editor from the weekly print issue of February 13, 2012: In response to the cover story 'Time to play,' one reader emphasizes the importance of children having unstructured time for creative play (especially in nature), not overstimulated by fancy toys. Another reader takes issue with the concern that requiring voters to have ID will deter minority and young voters.

Reasons for Obama to aid Syria – other than moral ones

Obama intervened in Libya for humanitarian reasons – to prevent a slaughter. Why not in Syria – to end actual killing? Perhaps he needs the reasons of a realist.

What a smart phone can't find: happiness

I watched a basketball game with one of our sons the other night. Every time I made a comment or asked an off-handed question he went to his iPad to summon statistics or video clips. We didn’t experience the game together in real time; we processed it search by search.

How an Obama shift helps unstable regimes get nuclear weapons

In past nuclear cooperation agreements, the US has required nations to commit to not enriching uranium and opening nuclear sites to inspections. The Obama administration has just done away with the requirement. Congress needs oversight to combat this possibility of nuclear proliferation.

The Obama birth-control mandate

The president's health-care regulation expanding access to birth control, including abortion pills, impinges on churches that oppose abortion, especially Catholic ones, by narrowly defining their religious activity to teaching only. Government must be wary of determining where the works of faith end.

Maggie vs. Gorby: the scene that ‘The Iron Lady’ forgot

The scripted and unscripted confrontations between Margaret Thatcher and Mikhail Gorbachev were of such epic consequence they could not be condensed into film. Yet we do Britain’s first female prime minister a great disservice in omitting them.

Missing: my Republican party. Please help me find it.

I have been a life-long Republican (I first voted in 1968), but lately I seem to have lost my party, and I’m hoping you can help me find it. Let me describe it for you.

Talk to Hamas? Talk to Taliban? Thank the Arab Spring for those possibilities.

The Arab Spring's message of freedom through nonviolence has isolated Iran and Syria, helped elevate moderate Islamists, and pushed radical groups to weigh alternatives.

Barack Obama: Hope, change, and contradiction

Barack Obama is proving to be one of the most puzzling presidents. He bravely took out Osama bin Laden but hasn’t had the courage to tackle the deficit. And now he's picked a fight with Catholics – the majority of whom voted for him in 2008.

Democrats, GOP collude to lure people into gambling

It seems like America’s political parties have never been more polarized. But when it comes to state-regulated gambling, they’re often playing the same hand. Unfortunately, it's a losing one.

Wages of sin in Greek debt crisis

Accepting a 22 percent wage cut is difficult when Greeks don't agree on responsibility for their debt crisis. Shared sacrifice would be easier if they owned up to their role.

Trapped in Douma, Syria: I saw the faith that keeps Syrian protesters going

During the 14 days I spent in Syria last month, I saw the most horrendous acts of the Assad regime on its people. When I asked people what spurred them on amid such indiscriminate brutality, they all gave the same response: Their only hope is their faith in right and wrong.

Congo: National elections now only hurt democracy

What the Democratic Republic of Congo needs is not another national election but a rethinking of how the state might be reorganized. In the long run, only a decentralized system of government – or perhaps a partition of the country – is likely to produce accountable leadership.