Rather, America's feckless diplomacy toward Iran to date is the result of the administration's early misunderstanding of Iraq and of Iranian and Arab interests.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The long road to victory

"Financialphobes can be intelligent people who are high achievers in most areas of their lives - they are not irresponsible, feckless or spendthrift, " said Dr Brendan Burchell, of Cambridge University's faculty of social and political sciences.

BBC: One in five 'suffers banking phobia'

"We're dealing with feckless politicians wanting to extend a giveaway because of the optics, " despite the government's huge budget deficit, he said.

WSJ: Student Debt Sparks a Fight

Mrs Merkel and the ECB cannot continue to threaten feckless economies with exclusion from the euro in one breath and reassure markets by promising the euro's salvation with the next.

ECONOMIST: The euro zone