But what we must remember at a time like this is that we are not helpless in the face of our difficulties.

WHITEHOUSE: Weekly Address: Opening Doors for Small Business

There are unpromising precedents on this score: in countries such as Rwanda and Bosnia (remember Srebrenica?), timid forces of international peacekeepers have been rendered helpless, or even clobbered, by sides determined to fight on.

ECONOMIST: The Nigerians arrive; will Taylor go? | The