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Romney versus Obama
CAMBRIDGE – While the presidential primary elections in the United States are not over, Mitt Romney is now almost certain to be the party’s nominee to face Democratic President Barack Obama in November.

Doing development better
CAMBRIDGE – Jim Yong Kim’s appointment as World Bank president may have been predictable, given the long-standing tradition that renders the selection an American prerogative. But even the appearance of competition between Kim and the other candidates, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and José Antonio Ocampo, served to expose a deep fissure within the field of development policy, because Kim and his two rivals represented dramatically different approaches.

Extremism has an antidote – democracy
2012 was billed as a year of change in Europe, with elections in France, Greece and Russia eagerly anticipated: France for the potential election of a Socialist President, Greece to see how its people would vote in bitter times, and Russia, even though the result was a foregone conclusion, for the clues it might give to the way the largest country in Europe is developing.

Greek politicians need to be brave – opinion
“They are not asking for agreement, they are asking us to be their partners in crime; we will not be their accomplices…”

The necessity of NATO
BRUSSELS – Many years ago, I took my children to visit the sites of the D-Day landings in Normandy. I wanted them to understand the sacrifices that others had made so that Europe and North America could enjoy the benefits of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Are humans getting better?
MELBOURNE – With daily headlines focusing on war, terrorism, and the abuses of repressive governments, and religious leaders frequently bemoaning declining standards of public and private behavior, it is easy to get the impression that we are witnessing a moral collapse. But I think that we have grounds to be optimistic about the future.

After ‘Merkozy’

EU delays give Russia first-mover advantage

Fan mail

At a time when it could be compromising for a lady to thoughtlessly blink in church, fans, like gloves, were ‘mobile communication’ accessories, using coded language for secret messages and intricate erotic play: a fan carried in the left hand meant, “Come and talk to me”, when open and shut, “You are cruel”, whereas a fan held wide open sent the unequivocal invitation: “At what hour?”…something of a vintage SMS!

Focusing on Hollande -Merkel meeting
The day after he is to take the oath as president of France, François Hollande, is expected to travel to Berlin on 16 May to meet the German, Chancellor Angela Merkel.