This week you had to squint to see stories that didn’t make you squirm.

On top of the barbarity unfolding in Syria came a report that North Korea might be funneling chemical-weapons know-how to the regime. Russia boasted about having hypersonic and detection-dodging nuclear missiles (also unconfirmed). Temperatures in the Arctic hit 50 degrees F. above normal while Europe shivered.

Pass the magnifying glass. But don’t spin the globe to those cultures where “progressive” benchmarks get notched routinely.

Look to Iraq, a nation that has cherished literacy for decades. Bara’a Abdul Hadi Mudher al-Biyati began as a volunteer on a male-dominated bookshop row in Baghdad. Now, the 29-year-old broadcasts a weekly TV segment on new books and has published half a dozen herself, including titles examining the role of Iraqi women in society.

Look to Russia, where interest and activism are spreading around ecologically stressed Lake Baikal, which holds about one-fifth of the world’s unfrozen fresh water. “First of all,” the longtime director of a nature reserve there told The Economist, “we see that it concerns the kids now.”

Look to Ireland, where Sinn Féin has taken another step in its political evolution with the election of Mary Lou McDonald as president after Gerry Adams’s long and controversial run. She's a different face for the party, a Dubliner with middle-class roots, no connection to the IRA, and a reputation as an effective parliamentary reformer.

All worth watching closely.

Now to our five stories for your Friday, including a special narrative report on the power of forgiveness.