But as the arms-control scholar Thomas Schelling once noted, two things are very expensive in international life: promises when they succeed and threats when they fail.

It hasn't been easy to find American citizens who are willing to pick fruit in 110 degree weather.

You know, when the cost of capital goes down, when credit becomes cheap, people start taking greater and greater risks.

One of the things that has been very difficult in Libya is the sense of uncertainty - the sense that they haven't actually finished the revolution, that there was still a great deal of uncertainty. That uncertainty has made Libya harder for business in terms of oil and other things as well.

It is absolutely clear that government plays a key role, as a catalyst, in promoting long-run growth.

I enjoy writing but I much prefer the experience of having written.

America's growth historically has been fueled mostly by investment, education, productivity, innovation and immigration. The one thing that doesn't seem to have anything to do with America's growth rate is a brutal work schedule.