The central point made by Mr Lieven's witty and impeccably scholarly book is that Russia owed its victory not to the courage of its national spirit or to the coldness of the 1812 winter, as some French sources have argued, but to its military excellence, superior cavalry, the high standards of Russia's diplomatic and intelligence services and the quality of its European elite.

ECONOMIST: Russia's war against Napoleon

The crisis is being seen by this quintet of finance ministers as an opportunity to get back some of that spirit of international co-operation which marked the response to crisis in the winter of 2008-09.

BBC: Britain pushes hard choices for Europe's hard core

This post follows the spirit of an initiative spearheaded by writer Leon de Winter.

FORBES: Proud To Be An Anti-Semite

Mr. WINTER: Well, I suppose there is a certain daring spirit in a lot of people, and they like to live in a place where they can get up in the morning and see the beautiful Gulf of Mexico and the live oaks and enjoy the balmy climate that exists there most of the time.

NPR: Rebuilding with an Eye to Social Equity