Extreme poverty is the best breeding ground on earth for disease, political instability, and terrorism.

We are not at war (except with our own demons).

Russia has gone through eight years of continuing economic pain.

The defining challenge of the 21st century will be to face the reality that humanity shares a common fate on a crowded planet.

The longer you wait, the less fun. If you wait until the bitter end, the whole economy can be destroyed.

There's a lot of strength in the U.S., but there's a lot of froth also. The froth will blow off. We're going to have to face up to some realities that we're not fully facing up to right now.

Despite a decade of criticism and budget cuts, the specialised UN agencies have far more expertise and hands-on experience than any other organisations in the world.