Miss Domoto, Mr Tanaka, Mr Ishihara and the other unruly governors owe their success to their independence.

ECONOMIST: Japan

Both are best enjoyed in a moderation seldom easy to maintain, and both owe their success to the most smugly contented cows you are ever likely to see.

BBC: The perfect trip: Switzerland

Of those that work, some may owe their success to a powerful, binding ideology (as in the United States), backed by laws, history and, sometimes, a single language.

ECONOMIST: Cooling down Kosovo

They owe their success primarily to their pitchers, whose combined 2.36 earned-run average entering Tuesday was the best in the majors.

WSJ: Atlanta Braves: Whiff Club for Men

Though the plaudits have almost exclusively been for the players, the Czechs owe much of their success to the tactical acumen of their coach.

BBC: Jozef Chovanec