Opinion - The Christian Science Monitor

The cost of healthcare – and of reforming it – is a huge concern to the public and many lawmakers. To hear from the Congressional Budget Office that the latest version of the Democratic healthcare plan will reduce the deficit by $138 billion over the first 10 years, and $1.2 trillion over the next 10, well, that counts for a lot.

Lexington, Mass. - Hey, can we pause a moment in our March Madness bracket obsessions (even you, President Obama!) to honor my friend Jerry, a streaky outside shooter whose career ended recently with knee replacement surgery at the age of 62?

Monrovia, Liberia - Liberia is, by any standard, a dramatic peace-building success story. The country is stable, and investors are slowly returning. Yet there is much to do. The key to ongoing success lies in leadership, job growth, and developing a culture of self-responsibility.

Sandra Bullock and her movie “The Blind Side” have something to teach the NCAA during its 2010 Division I men’s basketball tournament – or March Madness.

In this post-9/11 age, an American leader can hardly ignore a country with the highest Muslim population in the world. The global nature of militant Islam requires the US to build bridges to moderate Muslims. And Indonesia, a mainly Islamic nation of 240 million people that combats terrorists, is one place for such a bridge.

Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of America’s most prominent strategic thinkers, was national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter. He spoke with Global Viewpoint Network Editor Nathan Gardels on Tuesday, March 17.

Malmo, Sweden; and Washington - America sits at the same economic crossroads today that Sweden faced five years ago. Sweden’s experience in eliminating the death tax could help the United States save businesses and add jobs at a critical time.

The Obama administration appears to be turning down the rhetoric in its heated exchange with Israel over last week’s surprise announcement of 1,600 more Jewish housing units in East Jerusalem. It should not, however, relieve pressure on Israel to show that it is ready to compromise in making peace with the Palestinians.

Washington - With the United States hyperfocused on its encounters with militant political Islam, especially in Southwest Asia (Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran), the public can perhaps be forgiven for failing to see the full kaleidoscope of other challenges – military and otherwise – waiting unnoticed just over the horizon.

Boston - Almost all Americans, regardless of their politics, want lasting peace in the Middle East. Most hope for the Arabs and Israelis to resolve their conflict based on a compromise that would maximize, as much as reasonably possible, security and justice for both sides. In other words, most of us want progress. 

A national broadband plan for America argues that high-speed Internet service is as vital to America’s economy as electric power. Everyone should have access to it. Everyone should be able to afford it.

Denver - The world looks at China with envy. China’s economy grew 8.7 percent last year, while the world economy contracted by 2.2 percent. It seems that Chinese “Confucian capitalism” – a market economy powered by 1.3 billion people and guided by an authoritarian regime that can pull levers at will – is superior to our touchy-feely democracy and capitalism. But the grass on China’s side of the fence is not as green as it appears.

Provo, Utah - While two wars in Southwest Asia and a dangerous confrontation with Iran dominate President Obama’s foreign- policy worry list, oil-rich Venezuela, much closer to home, is becoming more than a minor irritant.

Although President Obama has yet to achieve much on jobs, healthcare, or energy, he is on track to transform America’s education.

Kanna-machi, Japan - The United States military, has struggled with how to manage media coverage of the war in Afghanistan – and even the most basic approaches to an effective public-relations campaign.

Port Charlotte, Fla. - Panic time.

It’s hard to find many people with high expectations for the bipartisan deficit-cutting commission that President Obama appointed last month.

The plight of orphans after a tragedy in a poor nation can evoke an ardent desire in people from rich countries to give them a home. Yet the arrest in Haiti of a group of Americans trying to whisk 33 orphans out of that country just days after the Jan. 12 earthquake shows how that desire to adopt requires safe and legal channels. (See related Monitor story by clicking here.)

The Obama White House has finally laid out its most thorough, reasoned rebuttal to arguments for marijuana legalization – countering a campaign that is gaining alarming momentum at the state level.

Washington; and Kansas City, Mo. - Ask most people about the differences between families who live in “red” (conservative) states and “blue” (liberal) states, and you’ll hear a common refrain: Massachusetts and California are hotbeds of divorce and teen pregnancy, while Nebraska and Texas are havens of virtue and stability.

Oakland, Calif. - Will President Obama pull it all off? That’s the question everyone seems to be asking as they wait to see if the Obama administration can deliver on everything from healthcare reform to job creation.

Beijing - For months, the United States and other countries have spent an enormous amount of diplomatic capital pressuring China to impose a new round of sanctions on Iran.

Fort Hood, Texas - Which is better in war? Wipe out a nation completely and start fresh? Merely disarm the enemy through aggressive tactics? Or subdue through nonaggressive means altogether?

President Obama plans to create 2 million new jobs within five years by doubling – yes, doubling – US exports. To achieve that stunning goal will require him to bang forcefully on the doors of many countries that now block American goods and services.

The Senate jobs bill, approved by a vote of 62 to 36, has touched off a couple of red-hot debates.

Washington - In concert with Afghans and NATO allies, American soldiers last month waged an aggressive fight against Taliban insurgents in the town of Marjah.

Washington - In 1953, the shrewd former Supreme Allied NATO Commander and newly-elected president Dwight Eisenhower used the National War College (now the National Defense University) to house his Project Solarium and bring together experts to engage in competitive fresh thinking to determine America’s cold war strategy.

Washington - Greece may be doing all the right things to revive our economy. But not everyone may want us to succeed. To succeed, the international community needs to address the threat of speculation and ill-regulated financial markets – a threat that imperils not only Greece, but the entire global economy.