Israel's occupation, oppression and expansionism in Palestine and other Arab territories were giving rise to great international concern.

Encouraging economic and political reform are important objectives, but they can never serve as a substitute for a serious effort to contain Russia s deep seated expansionism.

For America, Russia, too, was an evil empire, the world of communist expansionism and a nuclear superpower, but also a cradle of science, spirit, and soul.

Crispi worked to build Italy as a great world power through increased military expenditures, advocacy of expansionism, and trying to win the favour of the German Empire.

First, it illustrates the stop and go dynamic undergirding American politics, which can swing within just five years from a disturbing expansionism to an equally worrying withdrawal from the world.

Last year, Saudi Arabia s King Abdullah, worried by Shi a expansionism, was persuaded by Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the head of his National Security Council, to coordinate policy with Israel to counter Iran s growing influence.

Such was the existentialist worldview of US President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Theodore Roosevelt, a major advocate of American expansionism A just war is, in the long run, far better for a man s soul than the most prosperous peace.

While some have linked the term to promoting economic growth (in contrast to no growth sustainable policies), more commonly expansionism refers to the doctrine of a state expanding its territorial base (or economic influence) usually, though not necessarily, by means of military aggression.

Even if no such conflict erupts, Putin s attempts to restore Russian influence across Eurasia (by whatever means necessary, if his actions in Ukraine are any indication) will be highly damaging. It should be no surprise that Kazakhstan and Belarus are as wary of Russian expansionism as Ukraine.

If these problems can be addressed, both globally and at the national level, we can end the dangerous fiscal and monetary expansionism on which the world economy has come to rely and allow growth to be sustained over the long term though at lower rates than in recent years.