Affairs of state tend to drive most presidents toward the center on both foreign and domestic policy, no matter where on the political spectrum they begin, and especially so in the areas of intelligence and law enforcement.

Watching foreign affairs is sometimes like watching a magician; the eye is drawn to the hand performing the dramatic flourishes, leaving the other hand - the one doing the important job - unnoticed.

Eisenhower was less deferential to the military than he seemed likely to be, Kennedy was not at all beholden to the pope, George W. Bush was smarter than portrayed and Barack Obama has not led a charge from the left - least of all on behalf of the civil liberties that have eroded since September 11, 2001.

Obama has already rejected the bright sunlight of public knowledge, which is democracy's great disinfectant and cure.

I hate politics. What they say and what they do is completely different.

My government is committed to carrying out electoral reforms. It is our firm resolve to keep criminal elements away from power.

The lack of trust in supranational entities and cosmopolitan elite creates a fertile ground for tribalist belongings and reactionary politics.

Government leaders need to ask themselves if they are positioning their country to reap the full potential of the digital economy.