Neither an arrogant triumphalism nor a learned helplessness will do.

The Cup s explosions of proud nationalism hide more tortured realities.

Given this imperative, an architectural language of bombast and gigantism was almost inevitable.

Indeed, his speeches are studded with references to arrogant elites who are out of touch with the feelings of the common man.

I always find the question somewhat irritating, perhaps revealing the persistence of an arrogant imperial mindset.

This patronizing view conveniently ignores the fact that in the last four elections, Thaksin and his allies won by lopsided margins.

So it is no surprise that the Beijing Games may resemble the hubristic Games that beguiled the Führer and enthralled the German masses in 1936.

At last, that big, arrogant, fatally seductive nation, which left the Old World in its shade for so long, had been brought to its knees.

Any questions? The world is sick of the establishment, of its lies, and its lying, arrogant media.

The prosperous region was the Islamic Middle East, while an ignorant Europe remained poor.

As in the time of the Decembrists, anyone in Russia can suffer from overweening government power, regardless of political belief.

For all of the Obama administration s lofty rhetoric, his fiscal policy proposals make no serious attempt to address these problems.

His is the face of Putin s new Russia, of a smug Russia that is getting off its knees and reaching for its gun.

Indeed, this vainglorious attempt by Kim Jong il reminds Koreans of the mother bullfrog in Aesop s Fables who puffed herself out to imitate an ox.

Such a practical, effective EU may not reach the lofty rhetorical aspirations beloved by politicians, but it will not be moribund.

When we cannot be sure how to improve the world, prudence becomes an important virtue, and hubristic visions can pose a grave danger.

The revolution s veterans refuse to discuss their arrogant presumption of natural Redness, or to mention that they rebelled because they wanted power.

The most critical issue facing Brown is whether he chooses to distance himself from Blair s self satisfied and delusional claim that the invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do.

The more important reasons for the unease are the negative demographic trends in Russia s far eastern Trans Baikal region, and the fear shared by all of China s neighbors of overweening Chinese power.

Indeed, under Chirac, France appears increasingly arrogant, a nation convinced of the righteousness of its views and the universality of its model the very charges so often levelled against George W. Bush's America.

This patronizing view conveniently ignores the fact that in the last four elections, Thaksin and his allies won by lopsided margins. Thaksin s rural development policies were clearly welcomed by people who, for the first time, felt connected to the leaders they had elected.

LONDON In Canada, if you say you come from London, the natives often ask if you mean London, Ontario, or London, England. I always find the question somewhat irritating, perhaps revealing the persistence of an arrogant imperial mindset.

But, for all their failings, Argentina s ruling elites have never been short on attitude, viewing their country as the equal of the world s strongest, and thus never afraid to stand up to them all.

Think of the appeal of films like Thelma and Louise or Working Girl, in which the leading character is a gutsy, exploited secretary who, trampled by a snooty female Ivy League boss, nonetheless manages to end up with the dream job, the dream guy, and the corner office.

Why Putin s advisors and public relations managers encourage him to make these banal triumphalist announcements is difficult to fathom unless one comprehends the sense of grievance that almost all Russians feel at the loss of Great Power status.

Such a practical, effective EU may not reach the lofty rhetorical aspirations beloved by politicians, but it will not be moribund. On the contrary, such a Europe has a lot to gain for itself as well as to contribute to the rest of the world.

And, offensive as this has been to Mexican sensibilities and harmful to finding long term solutions to America s immigration dilemma these complacent arrangements have never presented so clear and present danger as they do today.