The Unappealing Choices after an Inconclusive Election
It has been a generation since the British electorate delivered such an inconclusive result at a general election. Not since Edward Heath posed the question “Who Governs Britain?” in February 1974 – the answer, of course, was “Not you” – has one of the two major parties failed to secure a majority in the House of Commons. ... Read more

Do not count on the Tories winning just yet
G ordon Brown’s government seems to be suffering its death throes. The biggest recession in postwar history. Criminal investigations of MPs who fiddled their expenses. Fewer votes than the UK Independence party in the European elections. Mass resignations of ministers. But even if Mr Brown were to resign tomorrow, the earliest a general election can happen is October; the latest is May next year. This government will be a long time a-dying.... Read more

Stalin's Intelligence
In the past four years the United States has paid heavily for two major intelligence failures. Before the 9/11 attacks, accurate warnings of the threat posed by Al Qaeda were not acted upon. Conversely, before the invasion of Iraq, inaccurate assessments about Saddam Hussein's military capabilities were acted upon. (Politics) The New York Times.... Read more

War Plans
The age of "Atlantic man" is conventionally thought to be over. Some, like Parag Khanna, foresee the rise of a "second world" to challenge American hegemony. Others, notably Fareed Zakaria, are harbingers of a "post-American world." New York Times.... Read more

Once our leaders had real power
Academic fights are more brutal than our fights in the real world," Henry Kissinger famously observed, "because the stakes are so low." Daily Telegraph.... Read more

Foreign policy real test for Rudy Giuliani
There are two things it is futile to try and predict a year or more ahead: the exchange rate of the dollar and the next president of the United States. Daily Telegraph.... Read more

China marches again, tyrannous and toxic
DGo, if you possibly can, to see The First Chinese Emperor, the exhibition devoted to the Chinese Emperor Qin Shihuangdi that opens next week at the British Museum. It is at once enthralling and intimidating. Daily Telegraph.... Read more

The crisis will not disappear overnight
It is extremely hard to know how big a crisis is while it is actually unfolding. Retrospectively, we tend to think of crises, whether financial or geopolitical, as one-day wonders. Daily Telegraph.... Read more

A PM offering to reduce his powers?
Britain's new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was a day early with his Independence Day celebrations. Daily Telegraph.... Read more

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The age of "Atlantic man" is conventionally thought to be over. Some, like Parag Khanna, foresee the rise of a "second world" to challenge American hegemony. Others, notably Fareed Zakaria, are harbingers of a "post-American world." The New York Times.... Read more