Recognizing that the land is a gift, Duvall’s characters embrace redemption and service to self, to community, and (even when misguided) to God.

In going along in May 2010 with the European charade that Greece did not have a solvency problem, was the IMF really standing for the proposition that the laws of economics do not and will not give way to political considerations?

History shows us that sovereign governments often default on their loans, particularly in times of war or economic upheaval. Europe finds itself in this situation now and would do well to examine past sovereign debt crises—particularly, the European sovereign debt crisis of the 1920s—for lessons.

Tokyo is expected to announce Friday that it will buy America's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the clearest statement yet that Japan will not be left behind in Asia's arms race.

China's new leadership is threatening to stay content with slower economic growth, and the country's manufacturing, housing, and export sectors are experiencing problems. Nonetheless, China has an opportunity to influence economic growth in 2012 through stimulus measures to its own economy.

Former Russian prime minister Yegor Gaidar and Russia observers discuss the future of Russian capitalism.

Beyond introducing greater candor in its surveillance activities, the IMF would restore more transparency to its lending operations.

While most of Europe--from Italy and France to Bulgaria and Slovakia--gets at least some of its gas from Russia, there still is not a true, unified European Unionenergy policy.