Christmas Coming!

Behind us lies a week in which things, after all, moved forward somewhat.

There was a budget deal for the European Union in Brussels, as well as an agreement on candidate status for Macedonia. There was an orderly election in Iraq, although the major issues are still in front of the country. And there a limited deal at the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting in Hong Kong, allowing the global trade talks to move forward.

Forward movement on all of these fronts.

But now I would expect things to slow down. In large parts of the world we are rapidly approaching Christmas. At the least for the Protestant and Catholic Christians - the Orthodox prefer theirs to be a little later.

As for myself, I'll be going to Rome in Italy to spend at the least part of Christmas there. No snow, but numerous other attractions.

There will be time to reflect on other things than the state of the world, the turmoils of Europe or the prospect of politics.