First, some of the fears of a rogue court were shared by them especially by Britain and France, fellow permanent members of the Security Council who also contribute to peacekeeping forces.

ECONOMIST: Tipping the scales of justice | The

Il Giornale, a newspaper owned by Mr Berlusconi's brother, has described the work of the foreign press as poison and lies, pointing especially at publications based in Britain, France, Germany and Spain.

ECONOMIST: Silvio Berlusconi and the press

December was an especially good month as customers took to seasonal menu offerings in France and Britain, and to a promotion in Germany based on the game of Monopoly.

ECONOMIST: How a Frenchman is reviving McDonald's in Europe

The only two EU countries that count militarily are France and Britain: it makes obvious sense for them to work together, especially in procurement, as even the Eurosceptic shadow defence secretary, Liam Fox, understands.

ECONOMIST: Britain's European problem