TED ALJIBE/AFP/Getty Images

I never really quite understood the rationale for having to switch off all electronic devices during airplane takeoffs and landings. The stated reason for the ban is that the devices could somehow interfere with the plane's operation or ignite a fire after a crash.

But Boeing apparently has some more serious kinks to work out with its newest jet, the 787 Dreamliner, which already has 800 advance orders ahead of its November launch. The Federal Aviation Administration fears that a new feature on the plane that allows passengers to connect their mobile computers to the Internet may allow a terrorist to disrupt the plane's control systems. This is especially worrisome, as we know that many terrorists have advanced engineering degrees and could be familiar with how to carry out just such an operation. The Web sites of jihadist sympathizers are often very professionally done and have sophisticated encryption features.

With airport security bans as stringent as they already are, I wouldn't be surprised if an outright ban on electronic devices in the cabin were instituted in the near future. That ought to boost the approval ratings of the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

AAMIR QURESHI/AFP/Getty Images

Last week, I posted about a British MP who had his Facebook profile suspended because the site's operators thought the page was a fake. And now it seems that a fake Facebook profile of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the son of the late Benazir Bhutto and the new chairman of her party, tricked journalists around the globe into reporting false information provided on the page. Zardari's father was quick to claim that the fake profile was created by the Pakistani government in an effort to discredit his son, but a cyber prankster later took credit for authoring the page.

If the journalists who reported the false information watched more TV, they might have guessed that the page was a fake. As it turns out, many of the controversial quotes about Islam supposedly posted by Zardari were taken directly from the series "The West Wing."

While most of us took off from work and school to spend time with friends and family for the holidays, the rest of the world didn't come to a standstill. Just in case you weren't able to catch up on the news over the break, here are 10 important stories you might have missed.

Middle East

Turkish warplanes continued to bomb Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Libya assumed the presidency of the U.N. Security Council.

Asia

Beijing said Hong Kong elections will not be possible until 2017, breaking an earlier promise of elections by 2012.

India has ended weapons sales and transfers to the ruling military junta in Burma.

Africa

Opposition political parties in Zimbabwe agreed to form a united front to defeat President Robert Mugabe in the March elections.

Six French aid workers were sentenced to eight years of hard labor, but were returned to France where they will serve their sentences.

Global Economy

The islands of Malta and Cyprus joined the Eurozone.

Venezuela introduced its new currency, the "strong Bolivar."

Elsewhere

In Colombia, a Venezuelan-backed mission failed to rescue hostages held by FARC rebels.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is trying to find passengers aboard a Chicago-bound flight from New Delhi who may have been exposed to drug-resistant TB.

Reducing dependence on foreign sources of energy is a stated policy goal of the United States. You might think, therefore, that the United States would be eager to take part in an international research effort to harness the energy released by fusion reactions like those that occur in the Sun. But you'd be wrong. Congress just cut the U.S. contribution to the $12 billion International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, a collaboration between the European Union, China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Russia.

In theory, fusion technology has the ability to provide massive amounts of energy with less radioactive waste and little pollution. Sounds good, right? Of course, the technology is very experimental and rife with such minor problems as, oh, how to heat atomic nuclei to the 100 million degrees required in a fusion reaction and still generate more energy than was used in the process. It may sound like something from Star Trek, but the rewards that could be gained by investing in such technology are astonishing. The United States might someday be able to retire older nuclear fission plants, reduce coal power emissions, and maybe even end imports of oil from unstable regions of the world.

Too bad the U.S. Congress doesn't feel the same way. Along with slashing technology budgets in other areas of crucial R&D research, Congress couldn't be bothered with funding a $149 million commitment to the ITER project for the upcoming year. The 2008 energy and water bill does provide funding for alternative technologies such as solar power ($200 million), ethanol ($250 million) and hydrogen-cell cars ($235.4 million). Fossil fuels managed to grab the biggest piece of the "alternative energy" pie with $708.8 million in funding.

With all the gains that might someday be realized by fusion technology for such a small investment, it makes you wonder where the United States' priorities really lie.

Facebook has become a popular platform for public figures to reach out to supporters and fans. Presidential candidates, for instance, can use the hugely popular social-networking site to build official profiles and post updates from the campaign trail. The Facebook gods therefore frown on pranksters who attempt to impersonate celebrities by creating a fake profile. They also encourage legitimate users to report alleged impostors in order to maintain the integrity of the site.

The trouble is, it's often difficult to determine whether a celebrity profile is indeed a fake. This is exactly what happened to British MP Steve Webb, who recently discovered that he had been locked out of his own account and had his profile removed from the site. Several e-mails to Facebook were able to convince the company that the 10-year member of the House of Commons was no impostor. (Facebook eventually reinstated his account and issued the MP an official apology for the confusion.)

I'm surprised that this type of thing doesn't happen more often. But Facebook, as far as I can tell, does a pretty decent job weeding out the fake profiles that seem ubiquitous on other social networking sites. They do it so well, in fact, that perhaps the Department of Homeland Security could contract Facebook to run the"No Fly List." I'm sure Ted Kennedy would be happy to sponsor the necessary legislation.

An embryonic movement to promote civil liberties and freedoms may be brewing in China. But it has nothing to do with political prisoners, the Falun Gong, or the upcoming 2008 Olympics. Rather, the release of director Ang Lee's film “Lust, Caution” has spurred an unusual surge of Chinese visitors to Hong Kong. The reason? On the mainland, the movie is heavily censored. The combination of a nuanced portrayal of a World War II-era traitor and explicit sex scenes was apparently too much for Beijing officials to stomach, but not the libertarians in laissez-faire Hong Kong.

With many of China's wealthy elites reportedly shelling out big bucks for flights from the mainland to see the film in Hong Kong, could we be seeing a backlash against Chinese censorship? A revolution sparked by a newfound respect for freedom in the arts? Probably not, at least not in the near future.

The vast bulk of the Chinese public, by and large, is more concerned with pocketbook issues than being able to see racy scenes in a movie by a Taiwanese director. And for those who don't want or can't afford to travel to Hong Kong, pirated copies of the uncensored movie are available from street vendors (as is most every other film, album and book), making official censorship difficult and almost useless. No wonder the few calls by individuals for the movie's unedited release on the mainland have been dismissed by the Chinese government with little public reaction.

That said, if the theory of relative deprivation holds true, China's elite may get jealous of Hong Kong's freedoms and take the lead in pressuring Beijing into greater liberal reforms. Said one Chinese businessman who traveled to Hong Kong:

We could have bought a pirated copy of the movie here, but we were not happy with the control and wanted to support the legal edition of the film.

Sentiments like those from China's wealthy elite undoubtedly irks the Chinese leadership, but the Communist Party has skillfully avoided having to yield to greater democratic reforms. I doubt that a movie is going to be the catalyst that breaks that trend.

MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP/Getty Images

The annual hajj pilgrimage is beginning, and more than 1.6 million people are expected to undertake the trek to Mecca this year. I know that the pilgrims have to eat somewhere, but I really wasn't expecting KFC to be one of their options. Located outside the Grand Mosque, this KFC keeps with custom—there are separate lines for men and women and all the meat is halal (killed in accordance with Islamic law). But if you plan on eating there for this year's hajj, unless you're already in Saudi Arabia, you're out of luck. Rooms at the nearby Mecca Hilton are booked solid through the end of this year.

PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Remember all the fuss earlier this year about contaminated food products coming from China? Well fear no more. At least, that's the word from the U.S. government. Earlier this week, U.S. and Chinese officials signed an agreement on food safety that will allow U.S. regulators to inspect Chinese food processing facilities and, they hope, keep unsafe products from reaching U.S. shores.

It sounds deliciously promising. That is, until you look at the plan's details.

As reported, the inspection regime does not cover all food products. The new inspection rules cover preserved foods, pet food, and fish. Increased inspections of meats or other fresh foods is apparently not in the cards. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn't have the budget to keep up with such a demanding inspection regime. Currently, only 1 percent of imported food is inspected. Nor is the FDA's budget set to rise drastically: The agency is getting about $100 million next year above its current budget level of $1.5 billion. That increase barely keeps up with rising operational costs and is not nearly enough to cover all the new overseas inspections that need to be performed.

U.S. officials are quick to point out that the inspections are targeted at those products that pose the greatest risk, and the agreement leaves room for expansion in the types of products tested. Well, I feel better already. Now it seems like all I have to worry about is practically everything else labeled "Made in China."

Apparently everybody. A report released today by the Belgian group Netwerk Vlaanderen takes a look at international banks that provide loans and investment services to companies with less-than-stellar human rights records. The companies receiving this capital are in industries such as mining, defense contracting and oil and gas—no surprises there.

But what types of abuses are we talking about? Some examples:

• Anglo-Indian mining firm Vedanta Resources is accused of forced relocations and allowing its operations to poison local drinking-water supplies in India and Zambia.
• Europe's EADS owns shares in Chinese defense contractor AviChina. While EU regulations prohibit EADS from selling equipment to China, investments in AviChina by EADS may have helped the company to supply weaponry to Sudan and Burma.
• Even Arkansas-based Wal-Mart makes the list for systematically driving down labor conditions. The report accuses the retailer of purchasing goods made by firms in the developing world known to severely abuse workers.

All told, 121 banks in 24 countries provided the 13 companies highlighted in the report with $13 billion in loans and helped them obtain a combined $43.2 billion in investments. Here are some of the worst banks listed in the survey and the number of questionable companies they each invested in:

1. Citigroup (United States): 10 companies
2. Deutsche Bank (Germany): 10
3. HSBC (United Kingdom): 9
4. UBS (Switzerland): 9
5. JPMorgan Chase (United States): 9
6. Royal Bank of Canada (Canada): 7
7. Société Générale (France): 7

The really sad part of this entire situation is that many of the banks have internal policies that prohibit investments in companies that violate human rights. In some cases, national laws also prohibit investments. Yet loopholes allow the capital to flow anyway. We can only hope that these same loopholes that allow money to flow to rights-abusing companies don't also allow funding to reach terrorist groups...

JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images

Apparently, a basic knowledge of U.S. history is not one of them.

According to the Washington Post, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino shared an embarrassing moment she had previously kept to herself. At a press briefing, a reporter mentioned the Cuban Missile Crisis and Perino wasn't sure what it was.

The press secretary had this to say on NPR's "Wait, Wait... Don't Tell Me" quiz show:

I was panicked a bit because I really don't know about... the Cuban Missile Crisis. It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure.

Going strictly by the name of famous historical events is probably a high-percentage guessing strategy, but it probably wouldn't help Perino figure out what the Boxer Rebellion or the Hundred Years' War was all about, nor would it provide much insight into the War of 1812.

(Hat tip: PoliticalWire.com)

GUANG NIU/Getty Images

In the November/December issue of FP, Jeff Chang's article, "It's a Hip-Hop World," described the social, political, and even economic implications of hip-hop's appeal to young people around the globe. It appears, however, that age is no longer a factor in hip-hop's growing popularity. In China, the "hip-hop grannies," a 30-member group of retirees, perform hip-hop dance routines for both entertainment and high-energy exercise. Most of the members are over 60, but that hasn't slowed them down. The group is now performing on tour and taking China by storm.

I know the saying "you're only as old as you feel," but I don't think I can imagine Grandma Lewis taking part in this particular international trend.

NORBERT MILLAUER/AFP/Getty Images

Where's the most car-crazy place in the world?

An easy question, right? Of course it's United States, where the U.N. estimates there are 776 cars for every 1,000 people. But other countries are catching up. China has held the top spot for new-car sales for several years, and by 2012, India is projected to take over as the world's fastest-growing car market.

Indian officials are preparing for the jump. Along with the biggest highway-construction boom since independence, India will also be raising its speed limits from the current upper limit of 80km/h (48mph) to 100km/h (60mph), thereby lopping nearly 3 hours off the trip between New Delhi and Mumbai.

With all the highways and faster speed limits, India might have to come up with a better driver's licensing scheme. That is to say, the country might actually need to develop one. No driving test is required to obtain a license despite India's 96,000 traffic fatalities each year.

Cars seem to be a global right of passage for fast-developing countries, but with more cars and higher speed limits, critics are already complaining. With higher speeds generally comes lower fuel efficiency, increased carbon emissions, and higher global oil prices. Despite billions in new highway spending, increased public transportation is not in India's plans.

China and India both seem to look at the U.S. transportation system as a model worth replicating, but it's a system that was developed over 50 years ago at a time when oil was cheap and efficiency was not a concern. It's time to get a new model.

Update: It seems that this post has generated a bit of criticism from The Other Side, which takes exception to my characterization of the Indian driver's licensing system and the efficiency of motor vehicles. I'm not one to shy away from criticism so allow me to clarify two points:

1. Mr. Kumar is absolutely correct in that India does indeed have a driver's licensing system on the books. I was using a bit of blogger's "poetic license" to say that whatever system is in place is entirely unsatisfactory; a point made in the original Guardian article.
2. In regards to efficiency, one can debate endlessly about the engineering mechanics of combustion engines, the price of gasoline and the possibility that there could be great advances in alternative fuel technologies. But in the meantime, cars and trucks are still less efficient than transporting people and goods by other means, such as trains. The United States erred in investing heavily in highways starting in the 1950s when we could have instead promoted mass transit systems. India's trains, from what I can tell, are in need of some serious upgrades. Of course, there will always be a need and a use for highways but, in my opinion, India shouldn't attempt to copy our own outdated model.

BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

Here's a disturbing story. Jewish groups in Venezuela are protesting what they claim is intimidation by government forces on the eve of the country's national referendum.

The JTA and the New York Times report that Venezuelan paramilitary officers conducted a raid for suspected illegal weapons shortly before 1 a.m. on Sunday at the Israeli Union of Caracas synagogue during a wedding party; no weapons were found. The Jewish community in Venezuela has come under assault before: once in 2003 when Iraq war protestors attempted to vandalize another Caracas synagogue and again in 2005 when Venezuelan police raided a Jewish school looking for—you guessed it—weapons.

The small, 200-year-old Jewish community in the country has been critical of president Hugo Chávez. And for understandable reasons: Chief among their concerns is his relationship with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar Assad, who have both made their thoughts about Israel well known.

But perhaps more curious than the details of this peculiar raid is that fact that very few non-Jewish news outlets in South America bothered to report the story. In Venezuela, the raid was mentioned in only a single major daily newspaper, El Nacional. In fact, searches for any stories related to the Jewish community in other major, Spanish-language Venezuelan papers proved empty. Perhaps the other news outlets were too busy covering Chávez's first electoral defeat but then again... perhaps not.

DEAN TREML/AFP/Getty Images

Which country is the fairest and most humanitarian of all? According to Dara International, an organization based in Madrid, it's Sweden.

Dara has just released its first Humanitarian Response Index for 2007, which ranks 22 developed countries plus the European Commission in five categories: response to humanitarian needs; integration of relief with development; work with NGOs; implementation of international law; and promotion of accountability.

Some highlights:

• Nordic countries top the list as Sweden, Norway, and Denmark capture the first, second, and third places, respectively
• The United States is in the bottom half of the pack, coming in at No. 16, but still beats Japan by two spots
• The French rank 19th, despite its good marks in supporting international humanitarian law, for failing to put their money where their mouths are

It's worth noting that the Index rewards countries for devoting a greater percentage of its resources to foreign aid. So, although the United States gives more aid in absolute terms than anyone else, it gets low marks for what you might call "relative generosity."

The funny thing is, most Americans seem to think their country is opening the spigots when it comes to foreign aid. According to statistics compiled by Columbia University professor and FP contributor Jeffrey Sachs, the typical American believes that 25 percent of the gross national income (GNI) is spent on foreign aid. In actuality, the OECD reports that the U.S. provided just 0.22 percent of its GNI in direct foreign aid in 2005, or $27.6 billion.

Sachs claims that poverty could be wiped off the map if the developed world spent 0.7 percent of its total GNI on official foreign aid, yet only five countries do so: Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. If the United States followed their example, American taxpayers would shell out approximately $93.8 billion each year in foreign aid.

Ah, but don't Americans give plenty of money through other channels? Not quite. Even if we include the estimated $33.6 billion that is contributed by private organizations each year, the U.S. would still fall $32.6 billion short of that $93.8 billion total.

Why does this matter? Because it's astonishing what could be accomplished if the United States were more like Sweden—in other words, if it increased the U.S. foreign aid budget to 0.7 percent of GNI. For a mere $93.8 billion, the United States could keep all of its current funding commitments and also:  

• Fully fund the $22.1 billion needed in 2008 to fight HIV/AIDS in low and middle-income countries, according to UNAIDS.
• Supply the World Food Program with the expected $3.3 billion needed to pay for all of its project operations in 2008.
• Treat the 425 million people infected with malaria every year for $2.40 a pop, for a total cost of $1.02 billion.
• Single-handedly fund the $5.03 billion U.N. peacekeeping budget in 2006.

Even after doing all of that, we’d still be over a billion short… but who's counting?

Not enough Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in your life? The Iranian president has been blogging on and off for about two years—and now he's looking for feedback. In his latest post, Ahmadinejad asks for more readers write to him about Iran's relationship with the rest of the world:

As you know, the purpose of running this blog is to have a direct and mutual ‎contact and communication with the viewers and even though I have received many ‎messages from the viewers to update the blog and write new notes, I preferred to write ‎less and spend more time on reading the viewers' messages – and not let this ‎communication tool become just a one-way medium.

And apparently, people are responding. Here are some of the more colorful comments, both in agreement with and opposition to Mahmoud. All errors of grammar and spelling original:

Pro	Con
I in fact think you are a great leader and I am actually contemplating moving to Iran because of the ignorance of people and the harsh things they say about all middle eastern countries... - Adara in Canada Mr. President Allow me to express my admiration for your policy. You are a great example of how one should stand up to the bullies of the world. Keep up the good fight. You are a spoksmen to all the free people, not just Muslims. - Filip in Macedonia After watching video of your experience at Columbia University I felt tryly ashamed to be an American. The ignorance and intolerance exhibited by Mr. Bollinger in his introduction speech was totally unacceptable and certainly not a befitting welcome for a world leader and scholar such as yourself. - Allison in the United States	Hey! Do all you non-Iranians realize that if you were in Iran, you wouldnt have any rights?! You couldnt serve in the military or police force...youd be discriminated against!!!! Why the hell do you support someone like this?! - Xochitl in the United States You are a terrible, despicable human being. You WILL be attacked by the US or Israel and will be destroyed! - "Your gone" in the United Kingdom How does it feel to be the most hated person on the planet? - Martha in the United States

If you read other languages, you can also check out the comments made on the non-English versions of the site. Translations of "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Personal Memos" and their respective comments are also available in Arabic, Farsi, and French.

On Friday, I noted the need for improving geography education in the United States, citing a survey by National Geographic that found many students know very little about the world in which we live. It now appears that some folks over at the FOX Business Channel need a little remedial education as well.

On Friday's Money for Breakfast, anchors Alexis Glick and Peter Barnes reported that computer maker Apple would be buying a stake in chip manufacturer AMD, which their on-hand commentator described as a "brilliant" move. (This would come as surprising news to everybody in the tech world who is aware of Apple's two-year-old deal with Intel, AMD's arch-rival.) The anchors quickly caught their mistake and attempted to correct themselves:

BARNES: "And we are getting some more news [inaudible]"

GLICK: "That, oh, it's not Apple. Let me just correct ourselves here. It is not Apple. [cross talk] Alright, I'm sorry, we got a little ahead of ourselves here on that. Um, Apple Dubai? Abu Dubai." [sic]

BARNES: "Oh, the Arabs. Ok."

GLICK: "Oh, ok, there we go. [Laughs] We thought it was Apple! We got so excited about it!"

The Arabs in Apple Dubai? Are you kidding me? In fact, the Financial Times had actually reported that investors in Abu Dhabi, the extremely wealthy capital of the United Arab Emirates, had purchased an 8.1 percent stake in AMD. Despite the fact that there is no such place as "Abu Dubai," Barnes repeated the made-up name later in the program. Who wants to trust these clowns for investment advice? Looks like Rupert's got some kinks to work out in his new network.

PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images

A new study published Thursday by the American Institutes for Research shows that U.S. students still lag behind their peers in Singapore, South Korea, and Japan in the critical areas of math and science education. Numerous other reports over the last several years have purported to show the same mediocre quality of the U.S. education system. In 2005, Microsoft founder Bill Gates described the U.S. high schools as "obsolete." President Bush mentioned the need for greater emphasis on math and science achievement in his 2006 State of the Union address. And just last month, an influential group of tech-industry CEOs from such companies as Cisco and Sun Microsystems added their voices to the choir of business leaders demanding changes to the U.S. education system.

But what do these reports, studies, and rankings really tell us? Not a whole lot, according to Vivek Wadhwa, whose recent article in BusinessWeek debunks many of the common misconceptions about U.S. math and science education. Even Singapore's minister of education has downplayed the importance of such rankings, despite Singapore's first-place status:

[The U.S.] is a talent meritocracy, ours is an exam meritocracy. There are some parts of the intellect that we are not able to test well--like creativity, curiosity, a sense of adventure, ambition. Most of all, America has a culture of learning that challenges conventional wisdom, even if it means challenging authority. These are the areas where Singapore must learn from America."

The World Economic Forum's recent 2007/2008 Global Competitiveness Report supports that conclusion. In it, the United States maintained its position as the world's most innovative economy despite the shoddy performance of its math and science education, which ranked 45th. Singapore, meanwhile, stayed in first place in math and science education but came in at a disappointing 23rd in capacity for innovation and 22nd for the availability of scientists and engineers—10 places below the United States in the same category.

Even if U.S. math and science education is not completely inadequate, there is still one area in which the United States can vastly improve: geography. Miss South Carolina's less-than-shining moment earlier this year was no fluke; National Geographic's 2006 Survey of Geographic Literacy found that 63 percent of young people in the United States could not find Iraq on a map and 50 percent couldn't even locate New York.

Sometime, just showing up isn't good enough, even for Tony Blair. The charismatic former British prime minister failed to woo Chinese journalists at a speaking engagement Thursday in Guangdong province in southern China. Since leaving his post, Blair has gone on the lecture circuit, charging a whopping $500,000 for this latest speech. But a Chinese newspaper complained that Blair had said "nothing new" and used the occasion to criticize officials in China for wasting taxpayer money:

The China Youth daily, which is affiliated to the Communist party's youth league, said Mr Blair was forthcoming with pleasantries and clichés without offering any insight.

"Like reports made by some local officials, there was nothing new in his views ... so was the speech worth the large sums of money paid out by local officials and businesses?" it questioned.

Blair may not yet be able to match the $1.5 million-per-hour fee Donald Trump charges for engagements at The Learning Annex, but Trump must say something interesting if people pay almost $500 a ticket to listen to him.

CHINA OUT/Getty Images

Are Chinese authorities planning to ban the Bible at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing? According to the Catholic News Agency, they are. The report comes via an Italian newspaper, which referred to a Chinese government prohibition of  "promotion material used for religious or political activity" at the Games.

When asked about the matter, however, China's head of security couldn't give a definitive answer as to whether that restriction would apply to the Bible. (Primarily Christian) news outlets ran with the story and eventually caused the Chinese Foreign Ministry to release a statement. The ministry vehemently denied that foreign visitors would be prohibited from bringing Bibles for their own personal use into the country.

China does restrict religious expression, but standard Christian Bibles themselves are available in China, according to an investigation by the Canadian government. However, the U.S. State Department indicates that religious materials may be subject to confiscation by Chinese authorities and recommends that travelers contact the U.S. Embassy or a Chinese consulate to determine what specific items may be restricted.

While in this case the issue was overblown, the Bible controversy highlights the larger problem that China will face during the Olympics. Beijing wants to put on a friendly face to the world and will have to tread lightly when dealing with foreign visitors who want to make political statements during the Games. This is the exact problem addressed by FP Editor in Chief Moisés Naím in our last issue. Pass the popcorn—this is going to be one heck of a show.

Tonight, Nicolas Sarkozy will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress. Yesterday, a few of us from FP attended Sarkozy's address to the French-American Business Council, where the French president touched on a number of themes you're likely to see in tonight's speech. The bottom line? Here's a man on a charm offensive.

Some highlights:

• Sarkozy is looking to build bridges with France's socialists. "I want major reforms and for that I need a vast majority", he said. Expect the unity theme to reappear again in his comments on the Franco-American relationship. 
• Building on that topic, Sarkozy will also likely speak of France's own special relationship with the United States. Expect him to mention the portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette that hangs in the House chamber and the "eternal debt" France owes to the United States for its role in both world wars.
• Seven of the 15 ministers in Sarkozy's cabinet are women, a fact he emphasized in yesterday's meeting, describing the United States as a model of inclusion. Expect him to congratulate Nancy Pelosi on her position as Speaker of the House.
• Sarkozy is also likely to speak on the need for reforms in the world's international organizations. "The UN, IMF and G8 are all organizations of the twentieth century," he said yesterday, and it is likely that he will call for changes that would take into account the emerging powers of the developing world.
• On trade, expect Sarkozy to emphasize the need for free trade but a fair playing field. In other words, while Sarkozy may portray himself as a champion of the free market, expect France to continue to protect its domestic industries, especially agriculture.
• On Iran, the French President said that it is "unacceptable" that Iran be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon but that the country, like all others, did have the right to civilian nuclear power; he even dubbed nuclear energy the "technology of the future". He admonished those who are opposed to meeting with Iran's leaders, saying, "there's no contradiction between firmness and dialogue."

While he praised the United States, Sarkozy's overall message, like that of many recent French presidents, is one of restoring France to its former position of international grandeur. But this French leader brings a new twist:

If you want to be an example, you have to behave like an example. We've fallen too far behind, but we're catching up."

Editor's Note: This post coauthored by Joshua Keating.