Topic: Focus
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Focus
Obama's pivot to Asia? Middle East will still demand attention in 2013.The popular unrest of the last two years has left the Middle East volatile as 2013 kicks off.
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Immigration reform: Is 'amnesty' a possibility now?Congress seems primed to address immigration reform in 2013, and even a path to citizenship – which critics deride as 'amnesty' for illegals – may be on the table. The shift in the national conversation came suddenly. Here's why.
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In 2013, possibilities for stability from Somalia to South China SeaPolicymakers in many of the world's hot spots have a common New Year's wish: for unity to usher in and consolidate political and economic stability.
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The Monitor's top 11 US stories of 2012
From storms to politics, the year was a wild ride. What are the most meaningful US stories of 2012? Here's the Monitor's list, in roughly chronological order.
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How some Israelis see the sacred in settlementsThe expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is driven by more than politics and security concerns. Religious Zionists say settling the land is ushering in a messianic age.
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Why some Christians back Israeli settlers in the West BankUS Evangelicals' support for Jewish settlement of the West Bank has grown in the last decade or so, giving Israel greater traction in Washington.
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Baltic nations offer ex-Soviet states a Western modelThe tiny states of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, having shed their Russian-dominated past and joined the EU and NATO, are looking to help their post-Soviet neighbors to do the same.
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Left behind? Russian-speaking minorities struggle in new BalticsWhile the Baltics make economic and democratic strides, they also face growing pressure to better integrate their poor, disenfranchised Russian-speaking minorities.
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A Russian island encircled by Europe: Kaliningrad's dual existenceOnce the Prussian city of Königsberg but now separated from the rest of Russia by Lithuania and Poland, Kaliningrad occupies a peculiar space in Europe both geographically and psychologically.
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Which world hot spots will clamor for Obama's attention?Obama is unequivocal about his intent to refocus on US domestic issues during his second term. But the world is not likely to cooperate. Here are seven foreign-policy challenges already bearing down on him.
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Winter looming, New York rushes to repair homes hit by superstorm SandyHiring private contractors to repair homes quickly, New York responds to disaster relief in its own entrepreneurial way. Will the city be able to get people back in their homes before year's end?
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Want to stay on the coast? Homeowners weigh post-Sandy elevation.As homeowners consider long-term solutions for superstorm Sandy damage, they may have to raise foundations – or move. Some flood experts say the latter may be the wiser course of action.
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Analysis: For Hamas, a validationArmed resistance to Israel wins Hamas friends in the streets and among Arab neighbors.
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Analysis: Positions remain entrenched after Gaza conflictNeither Israel nor Hamas has budged on long-held principles that make coexistence difficult and the prospects for lasting peace remote.
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Obamacare countdown: States all over the map on insurance marketsStates have until Dec. 14 to decide whether they will implement their own insurance exchanges under 'Obamacare' or have the federal government do it. Many governors have already refused to set up exchanges.
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Obamacare countdown: How will reform affect the economy?The health-care law could strain household budgets, but drastic impacts on the US economy over the coming decade are unlikely, experts say.
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Obamacare countdown: What is slated to happen over next year?The health-care reform law, aka Obamacare, is poised to enter a crucial 12 months that includes setting up state exchanges, levying taxes on the wealthy, and preparing for the individual mandate.
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Islamists silence the musicians who guide rural MaliFor centuries, griots have directed ceremonies, smoothed over disputes, and served as repositories of history and genealogy. Now in northern Mali they are out of a job.
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Will Mali be Africa's Afghanistan?Mali was hit by two successive shocks to its system this year – with the north seized by rebels and a coup in the capital – leaving its government fragile and the international community mulling intervention.
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Rebuilding the GOP: Can Republicans pitch a bigger tent?The party must come to grips with the 'demographic realities' reshaping the US electorate and devise new strategies for connecting with growing populations of minorities, single women, and youth.
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Republican Party 2.0: 4 GOP leaders share ideas for political upgrade
In the aftermath of election 2012, four prominent Republicans share their visions for how the GOP can adapt its messaging to reflect a diversifying US electorate.
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Violence against women in Latin America: Is it getting worse?Across Latin America, women are confronting a rise in brutal attacks – as advocates struggle to sustain the progress that's been made in curbing violence against women.
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Turn on the TV? How telenovelas help people cope with real lifeTackling sensitive topics through entertainment and fictional characters can make it easier to get people talking about how to deal with complicated or stigmatized problems, like domestic violence.
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Putting a price tag on violence against women in Latin AmericaA first-of-its-kind study quantifies the intergenerational price tag of domestic violence. In a region of emerging economies, where GDP growth is paramount to success, could this motivate policymakers?
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How water could bring Israelis, Palestinians togetherA sole joint committee between Israelis and Palestinians survives 17 years after the Oslo Accords: the one on water.
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