Why Rex Tillerson hasn’t quit; What Palestinian unity will, and won’t, achieve; Thaler’s ‘nudge’ worthy of the Nobel nod; The woman in the controversial Dove commercial; Choosing a leader for the Federal Reserve is not a game

A roundup of global commentary for the Oct. 23, 2017 weekly magazine.

|
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, left, walks behind President Donald Trump after answering questions from members of the media following their meeting at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., Aug. 11, 2017.

The East African / Nairobi, Kenya

Why Rex Tillerson hasn’t quit

“Have you ever wondered why intelligent men (and women) in African governments will stay put in their positions even when ... their bosses abuse them?...” writes Jenerali Ulimwengu. “The thing in Africa is that a Cabinet post ... is an opportunity to ‘chop’ as my West African friends would put it.... But you do not expect the same thing to apply to wealthy Western[ers].... Rex Tillerson, [President] Trump’s secretary of state ... says he will not quit.... Come on, Rex! This is the same man who recently called his president ‘a moron’.... But what is it that makes Rex want to continue to serve...? He is a confirmed neo-con ... and ... the greatness of his country needs to be reasserted over everything, or anyone else.”

The Jordan Times / Amman, Jordan

What Palestinian unity will, and won’t, achieve

“For the last 10 years, the split in the Palestinian leadership structure has been primarily blamed for the extended stagnation of ... the Palestinian performance...,” writes Hasan Abu Nimah. “Despite justified hopes ...  it may still be too early to take a credible positive outcome for granted. There are still deep differences between the two sides.... Undoubtedly, a renewed Palestinian leadership ... would remove the pretext that Palestinian divisions ... were responsible for the stagnation.... Peace has been out of reach, because of the continued occupation that the Israeli leaders say is there to stay.... Will Palestinian unity change any of that? Will Israel agree to sit [for talks] with [a] united, Palestinian leadership...? That is hard to imagine.”

The Times of India / Mumbai

Thaler’s ‘nudge’ worthy of the Nobel nod

“Those who are saying that Richard Thaler has won a Nobel for slaying Homo Economicus are certainly guilty of exaggeration,” states an editorial. “But Thaler has been chipping away at economic models where humans robotically make rational choices to maximise their payoff.... Thaler has explained that as opposed to being highly rational, unemotional creatures like Spock in Star Trek, humans making economic decisions may be closer to Homer Simpson.... Thaler is one of the fathers of nudge theory.... Note that [it] is the obverse of the shove. It’s like giving people GPS. As Thaler says, we get to put into the GPS where we want to go, but we don’t have to follow its instructions. Indian policy makers must pay heed....”

The Guardian / London

The woman in the controversial Dove commercial

“I am a Nigerian woman, born in London and raised in Atlanta...,” writes Lola Ogunyemi. “[T]he beauty industry has ... [a] long history of presenting lighter, mixed-race or white models as the beauty standard.... This repressive narrative ... is why, when Dove offered me the chance to be the face of a new body wash campaign, I jumped.... If you Google ‘racist ad’ right now, a picture of my face is the first result.... However, the experience I had with the Dove team was positive.... While I agree with Dove’s response to unequivocally apologise for any offense caused, they could have also defended ... their choice to include me.... I am not just some silent victim.... I am strong, I am beautiful, and I will not be erased.”

South China Morning Post / Hong Kong

Choosing a leader for the Federal Reserve is not a game

“ ‘You’re hired!’ Those words may soon resonate in Washington as US President Donald Trump ... makes his pick to lead the Federal Reserve...,” writes Neal Kimberley. “Appointing the next [Fed] chair ... will be one of the most important decisions Trump makes.... In truth, no one should underestimate the influence of the chair of the Federal Reserve.... The current shortlist ... seems to consist of the incumbent Janet Yellen, the Trump-appointed National Economic Council director Gary Cohn, existing Fed governor Jerome Powell, former [Federal Open Market Committee] member Kevin Warsh and Stanford University economist John Taylor.... [I]nvestors should get familiar with these five names.... This is not ‘The Apprentice.’ This matters.”

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Why Rex Tillerson hasn’t quit; What Palestinian unity will, and won’t, achieve; Thaler’s ‘nudge’ worthy of the Nobel nod; The woman in the controve...
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Global-Newsstand/2017/1021/Why-Rex-Tillerson-hasn-t-quit-What-Palestinian-unity-will-and-won-t-achieve-Thaler-s-nudge-worthy-of-the-Nobel-nod-The-woman-in-the-controversial-Dove-commercial-Choosing-a-leader-for-the-Federal-Reserve-is-not-a-game
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe