Five Best Ideas of the Day: January 9

1. Low oil prices change the math on the Keystone XL pipeline, but politics are still controlling the debate.

By Michael A. Levi at the Council on Foreign Relations

2. Terrorists are despicable, but they aren’t irrational. The Charlie Hebdo attackers were demanding censorship. The world shouldn’t give in.

By Stephen L. Carter in Bloomberg View

3. ‘Uber for freelance work’ could have a huge impact on careers for the next generation.

By the Economist

4. Making community college free could trigger a new wave of economic growth and help improve access to education.

By Josh Wyner in Time

5. People who learn skills two or three at a time are much better at multitasking than people combining skills on the fly.

By Walter Frick in Harvard Business Review

The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C.