It would offend against the principle of free expression, he said: a principle revered in America, but not in Iran.

ECONOMIST: A rough ride for Iran's president

But who is to decide which restrictions are reasonable and which offend against what the Supreme Court has now declared to be a fundamental right?

ECONOMIST: Guns and the Supreme Court

As for that other fight, against Saddam, Guinea is in a pickle, anxious to offend neither France nor America.

ECONOMIST: Ramshackle Guinea