Topic: U.S.S.R.
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Cuban Missile Crisis: the 3 most surprising things you didn't know
Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis brought the United States and the Soviet Union within a hair’s breadth of nuclear war. Here are three things that many Americans don’t know about what historians routinely call “the most dangerous moment in human history.”
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Cuban Missile Crisis: 5 ways leftist ideology lives on in Latin America
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the US and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war over the installation of Soviet missiles in Cuba.
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Presidential debate: 7 defining moments in history (+video)
From Ronald Reagan’s one-liner, “There you go again,” to Al Gore’s heavy sighs and eye rolls, zingers and mannerisms can define a presidential debate even more than the candidates’ positions on critical issues. Here is a look back at seven defining debate moments.
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3 views on what the US should do about Iran's nuclear program
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, saying Iran is under a "continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists." As the fourth installment of our One Minute Debate series for election 2012, three writers give their brief take on what the United States should do about Iran's nuclear program.
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JFK White House recordings: 8 excerpts from the new book
Excerpts from some of the secret recordings made in the JFK White House are revealed in the new book 'Listening In.'
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Doing the Lindy for fun and exercise in Moscow
A forbidden cultural import during the cold war, American swing dance and rock 'n' roll are now seeing a jump in popularity among Russians who embrace the retro Americana.
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South Korea charges North building missile that could reach US
South Korean officials say they have evidence that North Korea is working on an intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach as far as the United States.
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The Monitor's View: Christmas in Newtown: restoring childlike innocence
A big Christmas tree in Newtown, Conn., has become a memorial site for the Sandy Hook children killed at their elementary school. Many faiths use a Christmas-like embrace of an innocent child to help them in troubled times and restore the promise of purity.
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Syria: rebels fight Palestinian pro-Assad group (+video)
When the revolt against Assad's rule began in March 2011, the half-million-strong Palestinian community in Syria stayed on the sidelines. But as the civil war deepened, many Palestinians have taken sides.
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Tax VOX
How Eisenhower and Congressional Democrats balanced the budgetPresident Dwight Eisenhower truly believed that budgets should be balanced, and his 1960 budget incorporated severe spending restraint and only minor tax increases, Penner writes.
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Israeli Defense Minister Lieberman resigns after criminal charge
Mr. Lieberman denies the charge and says he is resigning to clear his name. But his resignation may impact Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's reelection chances.
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Opinion: Is South Africa following the path of 'the strongman'?
South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress, was once a post-apartheid hero. Now it is the latest caricature of African bad governance, and it no longer resonates with the people. At its upcoming meeting, the party must embrace internal debate and reject economic nationalism.
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The Monitor's View: Putin's drive for Russian identity
In a big speech Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin said Russians lack 'spiritual braces.' He joins other world leaders who recently made similar warnings about their people. Should governments, especially those with weak democratic credentials, be promoting moral values?
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Israeli minister charged with breach of trust, but evades more serious charges
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will likely come under heavy pressure to resign after today's charges from the Israeli attorney general.
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North Korea rocket test shows long road to credible missiles
Experts say Pyongyang is years from even having a shot at developing reliable missiles that could bombard distant targets, though it did gain attention and the outrage of world leaders with its first successful launch of a three-stage, long-range rocket.
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US hesitates to forcefully condemn North Korean rocket launch
The Obama administration has made it clear the US will not tolerate Iran or Syria's acquisition of nuclear weapons, but North Korea's missile program is a tricker situation diplomatically.
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In human rights spat, Russia poised to target US adoptive parents
After the US Congress approved a bill to punish Russian officials involved in human rights abuses, Moscow is set to blacklist Americans accused of violating Russians' rights – including US parents accused of abusing adoptive children from Russia.
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Focus
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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Focus
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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Focus
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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Chapter & Verse
Writer David Nasaw discusses the turbulent life of Joseph P. KennedyFrom his role as a father to powerful politicians to his job as a movie industry mogul, Nasaw says that 'unlike other outsiders who fight to get inside... once [Kennedy] gets inside, he refuses to play by the rules.'
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Price of a vacation on the moon? $1.5 billion.
The company is aiming for a first launch before the end of the decade and then up 15 or 20 launches total.
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Ike's Bluff
Writer Evan Thomas's perceptive analysis of the 34th president shows a shrewd operator who played his cards close to the vest.
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Cover Story
Inside the mind of Iran's Khamenei (+video)Why Iran's iron ayatollah distrusts the US and what that means for nuclear talks and the possibility of war with the West.
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Iron Curtain
You won't find a better book about the beginnings of the Cold War than this National Book Award-nominated study by Anne Applebaum.
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Will China's new leaders implement bold reforms?
China's Communist Party transitioned to new leadership peacefully on Thursday. Rapid growth over the past decade has left the Chinese public wanting more. Will the new government deliver?
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Energy Voices
An America self-sufficient in oil? Don't bet on it.A new forecast that the US will surpass Saudi Arabia in oil production is unrealistically optimistic. Oil prices would have to rise far too much for unconventional oil to meet forecast levels.
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Opinion: Balkan conflicts hold clear lessons on intervention in Syria
As policymakers in Europe, the United States, the Gulf states, Turkey, and the Arab League search for ways to resolve the conflict in Syria, they should consider what the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo have to teach about outside intervention. The main lesson? Do it – to stop the killing.
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In 'eloquent declaration,' Russia opens world's largest Jewish museum
Israeli President Shimon Peres, who was born in Belarus, inaugurated the Jewish Museum, noting its powerful testament to how a country can change.
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China enlists everyone from cops to cabbies to enforce orderly transition
China's ruling Communist Party opens a congress Thursday to usher in a new group of leaders. Much about the meeting will be a reminder that China remains an authoritarian state.
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