American forces have already suffered casualties, and more may well follow, even though the marines will not take part in an offensive against Kandahar.

ECONOMIST: Gains in Afghanistan, losses in the battle of ideas

This is most obvious in Britain, where during the recent election campaign Labour and Tory leaders vied with each other to bad-mouth Brussels (though the new Labour government has begun, as John Major once did, with a charm offensive in Europe).

ECONOMIST: Europe's mid-life crisis