I have never quite understood the point of counter-summits or any other alternative demonstrations in or around a formal conference on world affairs. I tend not to trust those who rely on megaphones and songs of protest. I have the same worries about the G-8 counter-summit in St. Petersburg.

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Mexico -- In a time when it's becoming increasingly fashionable to talk about a clash of civilizations, the World Cup offers at least the prospect of hope: if people from Iran and the United States can share a stadium in Leipzig, why not believe in the possibility of harmony?

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