A decade ago, the world had a foretaste of what can happen when ethnic divisions are exploited for sinister political purposes.

The was a financial panic in 1927, during the first year of the reign of Emperor Hirohito of Japan, and was a foretaste of the Great Depression.

And the ongoing Karmapa saga, with its shadowy politics and intrigue, could turn out to be only the opening act a foretaste of what may come when two dueling Dalai Lamas emerge after the incumbent passes from the scene.

A decade ago, the world had a foretaste of what can happen when ethnic divisions are exploited for sinister political purposes. Yugoslavia is but a miniature version of what might happen in Ukraine if Yanukovych s tactics are allowed to bring ethnic antagonisms to the boiling point.

The man who helped usher in the environmental movement in the 1960s and '70s has been rethinking his positions on cities, nuclear power, genetic modification and geo engineering. This talk at the US State Department is a foretaste of his major new book, sure to provoke widespread debate.

This has put Lukashenko squarely on the horns of a dilemma. He needs Russia s money, but his domestic support is based on defending Belarus s fragile sovereignty. Some would regard the sale of the economy s crown jewels as tantamount to national betrayal, possibly a capital crime. A bombing in the Minsk metro in April that killed 14 and injured hundreds may have been a grim foretaste of the political risks involved.