He is back on terra firma when he argues that the euro will put a strong wind behind the liberalisation of capital markets and will help set Europe's over-regulated economies free.

ECONOMIST: Yves-Thibault de Silguy, euro-navigator

Citing historical examples dating back to Mayan times, he argues persuasively that the social orders within individual societies are not so adaptable as the species itself.

ECONOMIST: The environment

Kotkin grasps the scope and the scale of the challenge, but on account of the way the cultural and economic winds are blowing, he argues that Republicans must turn the clock all the way back to Lincoln himself.

FORBES: Preachers, Plutocrats, and Grover Norquist: But Where's The GOP Soul?

He argues, probably rightly, that bad macroeconomic policies in the past have held back Britain's economic performance.

ECONOMIST: Singing in the rain

Steve Collins, an Australian broadcaster who runs the blog Grumpy's Getaway Guide, argues that he shouldn't have to put up with passengers who lean back and invade his personal space.

CNN: Air rage: Is reclining your seat a right?

Mr Ivanishvili argues that President Saakashvili has lobbied heavily in the West for years, and he is entitled to fight back.

BBC: Georgia elections: Furious PR battle for Western minds