http://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/gideonrachmanhttp://www.ft.com/rss/comment/columnists/gideonrachmanFT.com - Gideon Rachmanen© Copyright The Financial Times Ltd 2008. "FT" and "Financial Times" are trademarks of the Financial Times. See http://www.ft.com/servicestools/help/terms#legal1 for the terms and conditions of reuse.support@ft.comMon, 21 Jul 2008 18:38 BSTFri, 25 Jul 2008 12:35:51 BSTNewspapers60http://news.ft.com/cms/d1f3ce1a-6bbe-11da-bb53-0000779e2340.gifhttp://www.ft.com/comment/columnists/gideonrachman(PICS-1.1 "http://www.classify.org/safesurf/" L gen true for "http://www.ft.com/" r (SS~~000 1))http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/123c2f0a-5733-11dd-916c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/123c2f0a-5733-11dd-916c-000077b07658.htmlWhile Washington's armchair generals will denounce the Democratic candidate for weakness on Iran, the real generals support his position. The US top brass has no appetite for launching yet another war in the Middle East. Bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq, the last thing the US military needs is a third front, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:38 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a80bb276-51a2-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a80bb276-51a2-11dd-a97c-000077b07658.htmlThe Americans are stuffier and more cautious but they are also more careful and take the idea of journalism as a civic duty much more seriously – much as it pains me to say this, I fear that the Americans are closer to being right than the British, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6a54e0c0-4c29-11dd-96bb-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6a54e0c0-4c29-11dd-96bb-000077b07658.htmlAs it celebrates its 10th anniversary, the International Criminal Court is facing its own indictment. Its critics charge that its work is often counter-productive, politicised and plain incompetent. Gideon Rachman considers the futureMon, 7 Jul 2008 19:28 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67c8a9d8-46b4-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/67c8a9d8-46b4-11dd-876a-0000779fd2ac.htmlMr Obama's relentless emphasis on hope and optimism owes much to Ronald Reagan. But when it comes to foreign policy, he is in clear danger of being branded with the mark of Carter, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fa3ed30-4138-11dd-9661-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fa3ed30-4138-11dd-9661-0000779fd2ac.htmlBritain, the US and the EU need to cut off the access to hard currency and international banks that allows Mugabe to float above Zimbabwean hyper-inflation. But the biggest source of pressure has to come from his southern African neighbours, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:26 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c9a964e-3bc8-11dd-9cb2-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0c9a964e-3bc8-11dd-9cb2-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe EU is like some hideously persistent suitor who will not take No for an answer. Europe's political leaders should resist the temptation to 'respect' the country's referendum by seeking to overturn it, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:30 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b7b27e5c-38da-11dd-8aed-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b7b27e5c-38da-11dd-8aed-0000779fd2ac.htmlThis account of US engagement with the Middle East gives a sense of the pressures and trade-offs facing American presidents, writes Gideon Rachman Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:18 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a6887d4-3624-11dd-8bb8-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2a6887d4-3624-11dd-8bb8-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe biggest reason for the Russian government to get serious about the rule of law is the welfare of its own citizens. Wealthy foreign businessmen can look after themselves. It is ordinary Russians who suffer most from a lawless environment, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 9 Jun 2008 18:44 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ba009ee-30b0-11dd-bc93-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1ba009ee-30b0-11dd-bc93-000077b07658.htmlOn the subject of per capita consumption, western politicians struggle to find a convincing response to complaints from the developing world. But they will struggle just as hard to persuade their voters to cut back to accommodate the rise of a richer China and India, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 2 Jun 2008 17:25 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/82031b36-2b38-11dd-a7fc-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/82031b36-2b38-11dd-a7fc-000077b07658.htmlDealing with accusations of anti-semitism or anti-Israeli sentiment is draining and time-consuming for a presidential candidate. It is easier to chuck a controversial adviser under the bus. But America's absolutism on the Middle East is reducing its influence, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 26 May 2008 18:17 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae49f83a-25a3-11dd-b510-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ae49f83a-25a3-11dd-b510-000077b07658.htmlEurope's political leaders are forever swearing to turn a united Europe into a new superpower. But European citizens seem unconvinced. Being a superpower can be a burdensome and bloody business and many Europeans want to keep their heads down, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 19 May 2008 18:33 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9dda5012-203a-11dd-80b4-000077b07658.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/9dda5012-203a-11dd-80b4-000077b07658.htmlIn 1973 the US imported 33% of its oil; today it imports about 60% and this figure could rise to 70 per cent by 2020. US politicians have, so far, responded to this problem with a mixture of wishful thinking and anger, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 12 May 2008 19:05 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6bb2b4e4-1aa4-11dd-aa67-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/6bb2b4e4-1aa4-11dd-aa67-0000779fd2ac.htmlIf, as a newly elected US president, he calls a summit of the world's democracies, it would be a peculiar party. Many guests might plead they are otherwise engaged – the diplomatic equivalent of 'we cannot get a babysitter', writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 5 May 2008 19:32 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/df23012a-1538-11dd-996c-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/df23012a-1538-11dd-996c-0000779fd2ac.htmlThe trouble is that legitimate caution about sovereign wealth funds could easily spill over into illegitimate hysteria. Foreign investment is still a subject that is exploited by demagogues, from the US to France to India, writes Gideon Rachman Mon, 28 Apr 2008 18:37 BSThttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/360de9dc-125a-11dd-9b49-0000779fd2ac.htmlhttp://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/360de9dc-125a-11dd-9b49-0000779fd2ac.htmlPresident Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's president, tells Gideon Rachman he wants a cultural transformation in his countryFri, 25 Apr 2008 20:57 BST