Among his few successes are state employee pension fund reforms, which will save the system from bankruptcy.

It would be more than a tragedy it would be unparalleled political folly if, because of a lack of commitment and political foresight, the West were to squander its successes in Afghanistan.

But it also must be recognized that the EU built its success on its meticulous processes and ability to regulate economic life for the benefit of all.

And yet, while the EU owes much to the multilateral trade system, since 2006, it, too, has shifted to bilateralism, scoring its biggest successes with free trade agreements with Latin America and South Korea.