A central claim of the Bush administration's foreign policy is that the spread of democracy in the Middle East is the cure for terrorism.

People feel that European institutions are remote and bureaucratic, run by shady cosmopolitan elites. Britain is not absolutely exceptional because if you look at the opinion polls, those sentiments are now quite widespread also in continental Europe.

I love this country, but the union jack leaves me cold.

To be in Florence is to reflect on Europe's intricate diversity - and its lost creativity.

The main problem with American power is not that it is American... No, the main problem with American power is the power itself. It would be dangerous even for an archangel to wield so much power.

But transitions from the politics of violence to democratic compromise are always messy.

A central claim of the Bush administration's foreign policy is that the spread of democracy in the Middle East is the cure for terrorism.