New York - Divide and conquer: That seems to be the motto of the world's third-richest man.

FORBES: Mittal Melts Arcelor Deal For Dofasco

"It can be a very polarizing issue, " said Jason Madrak, chief marketing officer for the Connecticut Health Insurance Exchange, referring to the Boston-New York divide.

WSJ: States' Tough Health-Law Pitch: Enrollment

Even as Russia's relations with America have deteriorated, however, the bigger European powers have worked to prevent a new East-West divide from opening up in Europe.

ECONOMIST: Russia��s self-isolation

Katrina laid bare America's class divide, as better-off residents escaped New Orleans while poor blacks suffered in the city's stinking Superdome.

ECONOMIST: Seeking a cure for the hurricane hangover | The

Although no party straddles the divide between Dutch-speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia, the new coalition will include socialists and liberals as well as Christian Democrats.

BBC: NEWS | Europe | Nine-month crisis over in Belgium

Critics warn that many of these new developments will only serve a tiny elite, exacerbating an already deep divide between the haves and have-nots.

CNN: Africa's 'new cities': Urban future or utopian fantasies?