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Opinion 5 national security issues next president must tackle

President Obama and Mitt Romney battle over foreign policy issues in the third and final presidential debate. No matter who wins the presidential election November 6, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama will have to confront five urgent national security issues in the first weeks of his term.

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Latin America Monitor Brazilian youth 'want change now'

Brazil has changed immensely since Julia Michaels moved there 30 years ago, but the change came slowly. She sees recent protests as a pivotal shift.
Reader recommendation: The Year that Changed the World

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
British Euroskeptics claim Thatcher, but was she in their camp? (+video)

Though held up today by British Euroskeptics as an icon, the late prime minister left a legacy in Europe that is not as one-sided as it might at first appear.
To Republicans, Margaret Thatcher was first conservative-as-insurgent

Margaret Thatcher, the former British prime minister, embodied much of what inspires US Republicans with her iron-willed stand on the effectiveness of conservative principles.
David Hasselhoff joins campaign to save Berlin Wall (+video)

David Hasselhoff says tearing down a piece of the Berlin Wall is 'like tearing down an Indian burial ground.' David Hasselhoff is hugely popular in Germany.
Exporting Grandma? Some German elderly head abroad for nursing care

Long-term nursing insurance is a pillar the German welfare model, but the system is increasingly stressed by the aging population – leading some elderly to go to other EU countries for care.
Focus Is US-Mexico border secure enough? Immigration reform could hinge on answer.

What did the post-9/11 border patrol surge of manpower and equipment achieve? Understanding its successes and failures could be crucial to the new immigration reform effort.
Editor's Blog Bad news is loud. Good news rules

If you look behind the often dire headlines and examine the long-term trends, you'll see that crime is falling, lifespans are increasing, and poverty is ebbing. In other words, there's solid evidence for hope.
Reinventing Bach

Paul Elie's serious and inventive book asks: How has Bach in our time become a Godlike being whose center is everywhere?
Energy Voices Energy boom will push US past Saudi Arabia, benefit economy

The US energy boom will boost jobs and capital spending, cut imports and carbon emissions, according to a new report. But the energy boom is not a panacea for the climate –or US foreign policy.
Global Viewpoint Europe must overcome the politics of fear around the debt crisis

As the former prime minister of Greece, my experience with the debt crisis confirms my belief that this is a political crisis more than a financial one. We have adopted a passive, almost defeatist attitude in Europe. We must break this cycle of fear and mistrust now.
Cover Story Is Europe really on the brink?

Europe's biggest crisis in the postwar era is not just about the economy. It's about a search for identity – and a rationale for staying unified.
Opinion 5 national security issues next president must tackle

President Obama and Mitt Romney battle over foreign policy issues in the third and final presidential debate. No matter who wins the presidential election November 6, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama will have to confront five urgent national security issues in the first weeks of his term.
Nobel Peace Prize: How unusual is the EU's award? (+video)

The Nobel Peace Prize went to the European Union for its post-1945 promotion of peace and democracy on a continent where war had been the norm for hundreds of years.
Top Picks: A Joni Mitchell biography, Jerry Seinfeld's web series, and more

Tom Brokaw recalls reporting on historic events in 'The Brokaw Files,' the Tom Hanks film 'A League of Their Own' comes to Blu-ray, and more top picks.
US takes wait-and-see approach to Georgia's Ivanishvili

Although US supporter President Saakashvili lost Georgia's parliamentary elections, the US says that the peaceful electoral transition was a good start for Georgian democracy-building.
Fall books: 19 smart nonfiction picks

Here are 19 fall 2012 nonfiction titles worth checking out.
Global News Blog Winner of most 2012 Olympic defections: Cameroon

Economic misery (or opportunity) drives many Olympic athletes to defect in modern times, but political defections still plague communist bloc teams such as Cuba.
Central American peace accord celebrates 25 years, but has it brought peace?

The Esquipulas peace agreement succeeded in ending political and ideological strife, but it failed to create peaceful societies. Today Central America is one of the world's most violent regions.
Briefing Defense cuts: three things Americans should know

The US House approved a bill in July that’s likely to spark a showdown on military spending.
Latin America Monitor Who would be better for Cuba: Romney or Obama?

US elections always matter in Cuba, writes a guest blogger. The island has been under a half-century US embargo.
Difference Maker Son of an anti-Nazi hero uses family estate to teach teens

Helmuth Caspar von Moltke, son of an anti-Nazi hero, uses the family estate in Poland to teach teenagers about democracy and protecting human rights.
The road to freedom

A Christian Science perspective: For many people in the United States, the Fourth of July inspires celebrating freedom. The quest for freedom, regardless of one's national origin, runs deep in the human heart.
Latin America Monitor Rio +20: What does it augur for the 2016 Olympics?

The UN's global conference underscored just how much ground Rio de Janeiro itself has to cover when it comes to environmental sustainability. It also showed what a long way the city has to go to prepare for the 2014 World Cup games and the 2016 Olympics.
What Europe can learn from Aung San Suu Kyi's visit

During the next 16 days, Burmese Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting Norway, Ireland, Britain, and France, where some say she is an example of turning weakness into strength.