Canadians Tend To Be A Bit More

Europe Is A Woman, Now Middle-aged, Who Has Already Had A Number Of Heart Attacks And Is Currently Experiencing The Biggest Health Crisis Of Her Life, But One That Need Not Be Fatal.

But Transitions From The Politics Of Violence To Democratic Compromise Are Always Messy.

I Find Chinese Debates About Their Political System Domestically, But Also About China's Claims In The International System, To Be Among The Most Original And Surprising And Exciting Of Our Time. The Starting Point Is A System That None Of Us Had Anticipated, Which I Call Leninist Capitalism, But Also Obviously Because It Is The Most Important Emerging Power. The Question Of China's Relations With The United States In Particular, And The Rest Of The World In General, Is The Question Of War And Peace In The 21st Century.

That Said, The Question Remains: How To Strike The Balance Between Free Speech And Mutual Respect In This Mixed-up World, Both Blessed And Cursed With Instant Communication? We Should Not Fight Fire With Fire, Threats With Threats.

To Be In Florence Is To Reflect On Europe's Intricate Diversity - And Its Lost Creativity.