Hope springs eternal among policy makers in Europe’s beleaguered periphery. At five minutes to midnight in Athens, and with a bank run having started in Madrid, these policy makers cling to the forlorn hope that somehow Germany is going to relent on its strong opposition to euro bonds.

Antipathy towards stay-at-home mothers goes back to the early days of modern feminism.

The collapse of the Papandreou government may undo European efforts to restructure debt and hold the union together.

Meant as a humanitarian program to support the war-weary people of Iraq, The UN Oil-for-Food program came to symbolize not only Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's antipathy to his own people, but also UN administrators' venality and corruption.

2011 wrapped up with threats by Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz and with the Islamic Republic as a key topic of debate on the campaign trail, as well as concerns over the capability of al Qaeda after the terror group lost its leader.

Despite these criticisms, the book can be a useful read. For those who agree that Obama should have done more to extend a hand of friendship to Tehran, it will be a satisfying exercise in self-affirmation.

Every Kurdish official, foreign businessman, or diplomat, knows that regional leader Masud Barzani and his immediate family have far greater power than Kurdistan’s constitution indicates.

Keep seven keys in mind when making sense of what the Republican field is (and isn't) saying on education.