The problem is that many Swiss parents, not to mention businessmen who want to talk to colleagues abroad, would like more Swiss children to go out into the world with a better command of English.

ECONOMIST: Do you speak English? Jaa, es bitzli

But we're going to have a chance to talk about what's happening abroad as well.

WHITEHOUSE: Remarks by the President at Campaign Event in Madison, WI

His refusal to do anything in practice to scare off money from abroad, despite occasional talk about foreigners' in Britain not paying enough tax, has helped make London arguably the financial capital of the world.

ECONOMIST: Can private equity polish its public image?

Endless television and radio talk shows pick over France's deteriorating image abroad, touching not only the Romanies but also the strike by the national football team at the World Cup this summer and the Bettencourt affair, a political-favours scandal involving Eric Woerth, the labour minister.

ECONOMIST: France's poor image

British politicians, for instance, sometimes talk about scrapping their country's rule on resident non-domiciles because it allows wealthy people domiciled abroad, often in tax havens, to live in Britain tax-free.

ECONOMIST: The less obvious uses of tax havens