Cambodia relies more than most in the region on Chinese investment and other blandishments.

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Kenya, also worried about Islamist fighters operating in next-door Somalia, has long been receptive to Israel's blandishments.

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But these blandishments may be seen as inadequate compensation for the economic hardships.

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They suspect the group of conspiring to further Mr Berlusconi's interests with a mix of dubious blandishments and dirty tricks.

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But the signs are his blandishments may be less effective this time.

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Transplanting Loach to sun-drenched California has not diluted his righteous indignation, and there is clearly no danger of him being seduced by the blandishments of Tinseltown.

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The major European countries, with few security commitments of their own in Asia, downplay the significance of their new policy by offering blandishments to assuage U.S. concerns.

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And by building roads and creating jobs and business opportunities for the Pashtuns, the Pakistani government, with American help, could counter the money and other material blandishments offered by the extremists.

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Boycotting the Rome meeting of their own international support club would clearly have been stunningly self-defeating, and that decision was duly rescinded, as expected, after unspecified blandishments from the new US Secretary of State, John Kerry.

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