In his annual "state of the world address" Jan. 8 to diplomats from more than 180 countries, Pope Francis urged countries once again to respect the status quo of Jerusalem. 

The embassy move appears to make an already delicate existence even more complicated for Palestinian Christians.

Speaking on the 100th anniversary of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson's proposed League of Nations, Francis said today's leaders can learn two lessons from the ashes of World War I.

Police also used tear gas and batons against Massgoers in some of the capital's 150 parishes and violently broke up attempted marches in which protesters demanded fresh elections in the country.

During Guatemala's civil war, the government forced tens of thousands of farmers into so-called model villages under strict army control to isolate them from the guerrillas. Hundreds were left to die.

While a comparison with the Cuban Crisis does little to reassure us, it can offer some lessons on how our government avoided disaster in an even worse situation. We have been closer to the brink and still found a way to walk back.