Asia has a tortured history with debt.

WSJ: Loans Surge to Asia's Growing Middle Class

Latvia, is a particularly interesting case because of its ethnic makeup and its tortured political history.

FORBES: Latvia's Language Referendum, the Continued Rise of the European Right, and the Irrelevance of the European Union

For France, the loss marks a new chapter in its tortured recent history at major soccer tournaments.

WSJ: Euro 2012: The Reign of Spain Continues

Part of the problem for Mr Prodi has been that he is head of a broad-ranging left-wing coalition that won the closest general election in Italy's tortured political history.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Italy's debt rating is downgraded