As one of his supporters put it, he is a pragmatic idealist.

Islam exists in society, with its own context, its own time, its own detractors and supporters.

Despite lobbying by proponents, in December 2012, the proposal was rejected.

He disdains climate science and public health science when it conflicts with the beliefs and interests of his core supporters.

The Assad regime, with its own external supporters, seems likely to have no difficulty matching any new hardware thrown at it.

Abdulhadi Khawaja, a Bahraini human rights activist, is considered to be a prominent figure for his people considering his long struggle against the regime.

Chen invariably blamed the KMT for blocking sensible economic plans, but even some of his moneyed supporters knew better.

Although some of its members entered the cabinet under Abhisit, PAD leaders felt betrayed and abandoned by Abhisit and some of his powerful backers.

In an undated letter that reached my Office only recently, but which was probably written shortly after he disappeared, one of his close supporters wrote to him,

Although this perception may convince at first glance, it is ultimately based on generalizations that reveal more about its advocates than the actual reality on the ground.

His previous arrest and trial, for insulting Islam and president Hosni Mubarak, as well as his abuse in prison, drew international condemnation and supporters now fear he may have been arrested again.

When the King's Secretary of State, the Earl of Sunderland, began replacing office holders at court with Catholic favourites, James began to lose the confidence of many of his Anglican supporters.

The account is now managed by a supporter, who tweets updates on Al Ahmad, his imprisonment conditions and how his elderly mother, who is sick with cancer, is faring.

Even banishing skepticism and assuming that Hollande could over time persuade his supporters to embrace competitiveness boosting policies, the eurozone crisis is denying France the time that such gradualism requires.

On the conservative side, Jacques Chirac now officially supports Sarkozy, but he may also secretly encourage his most loyal supporters to vote for Bayrou, even if there is no love lost between the two men.

For the program to succeed, its proponents would have to defeat criticism from politicians on the left, who wanted more money spent on social programs, and on those on the right, who favored a more military project.

Above all, Berlusconi s electoral campaign is aimed, in the manner of President Bush s 2004 re election campaign, at energizing his hard core supporters and mobilizing the growing number of voters who have abstained in recent years.

I believe that Calderón declared this war because he felt the need to legitimize himself before Mexico s people, given the doubts surrounding his victory in the 2006 presidential election doubts that his supporters, like me, never shared.

The quest for world tidal dominance has led to a rivalry between the Minas Basin in the Bay of Fundy and the Leaf Basin in Ungava Bay, over which body of water lays claim to the highest tides in the world, with supporters in each region claiming the record.

Modi has found himself in an unenviable position vis à vis his own supporters He cannot live with them, and he cannot live without them.

Some of the half empty glasses were the result of intractable events some were the product of early naiveté, such as the initial approaches to Israel, China, and Afghanistan. But Obama was quick to recover from mistakes in a practical way.

In Japan, Abe has satisfied his conservative supporters with cabinet resolutions to allow for expanded self defense. Despite domestic opposition to Japan s new security doctrine, no politically influential group was able to organize an effective challenge to Abe s approach.

Kareem, who had spent four years in prison for an article he published on his blog, was released last November 15. His previous arrest and trial, for insulting Islam and president Hosni Mubarak, as well as his abuse in prison, drew international condemnation and supporters now fear he may have been arrested again. His second arrest and his consequent release, also drew a lot of solidarity and support online.

President Bashar Al Assad gave a rare speech on Sunday, his first since June, igniting Facebook and Twitter discussions that provided a jolt to both his supporters and opponents. Assad reiterated his argument that there is no revolution in Syria and that those seeking his ouster are criminals and terrorists working for foreign enemies.