World

So, unsurprisingly, Time Magazine’s cover story (international edition) on The Death of French Culture is making waves on the eastern side of the Atlantic (once upon a time, Time might have devoted space to French culture in its US edition: that it wouldn’t dream of doing so now tells us as much about the United States as it does about France). Given that all countries enjoy introspection – what’s the subject of any attempt at writing the fabled Great American Novel, if not America herself? – it’s not shocking that Le Figaro should devote three pages to responding to Don Morrison’s silly, exaggerated article. Silly and exaggerrated and irritating, I

Rod Dreher asks: I agree that it was stupid that Romney should have had to have given that speech, but American political culture really left him little choice. As silly as that may seem — as silly as it is — is Britain really better off? This, from Jeff Jacoby’s column on Romney today: It was on Sunday that the Romney campaign announced the forthcoming speech, saying the candidate would discuss how his “own faith would inform his presidency if he were elected.” On the same day in Britain, as it happened, the BBC broadcast an interview with former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said that his Christian faith had

I’d like to think this is made up. Favourite bit? Hard to say, but “I heard of Turkey” is pretty good. [Via, Larison]

“News” you expected from Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s party has won a landslide election victory, official results show. With more than 80% of ballots counted, his United Russia had 63% of the vote. The opposition Communists and two other parties were also poised to win seats. Opposition allegations of fraud were dismissed by the electoral commission. News you may not have expected from Venezuela: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has narrowly lost a referendum on controversial constitutional changes. Voters rejected the sweeping reforms by a margin of 51% to 49%, the chief of the National Electoral Council said. Mr Chavez described the defeat as a “photo finish”, and urged followers

Verily, it’s useful to be reminded that the United States of America is a very different kind of country. A foreigner – or a New Yorker – could spend a lifetime here and never understand this sort of thing. It is so extreme, so un-modern (for better or for worse), so convinced of the imminent apocalypse and yet, also, almost painstakingly optimistic. Reverent too, not just in terms of its religiosity but also in its boundless belief in man’s capacity for revelatory improvement. In this last measure, then, these evangelicals cling to a vital part of the American idea: There is always a Second Act. (There’s always appalling hucksterism too,

The always-excellent Arthur Goldhammer on Nicolas Sarkozy’s latest appearance: Sarkozy had another one of his marathon chats with les tribunes du peuple, or what passes for such in the media age: telejournalists. It was an odd performance. The Élysée doesn’t really suit its current incumbent. Its rococo excess makes a strange contrast with his blunt language. He cannot bring himself to sit up straight, despite chairs that would seem to require it. He slouches and squirms, and one keeps expecting to hear the voice of an admonishing parent: “Sit up straight, Nicolas!” His tie was not knotted comme il faut, leaving him looking slightly bedraggled, despite the dazzling white shirt

Vince Cable’s contribution at PMQ’s today was a classic: “This House has noted the Prime Minister’s remarkable transformation from Stalin to Mr Bean in the past few weeks.”