7 May The Australian commentary - Rotting Empire vs. Inept Enemy by Matthew Parris.

Writing in The Spectator three weeks ago, David Selbourne - the distinguished essayist, author and thinker - had sniffed the wind and concluded that it is all up for what he calls the US imperium. Islam has been Washington's undoing, he believes, and after six short decades as top dog of the world, America is already stumbling and set to lose its predominance.

It's a fascinating thesis. Selbourne is right about one thing. The American empire has passed its zenith. More disputable is his implicit suggestion that the US and the world are heading for some kind of nemesis. And he is mistaken, I reckon, to conclude that Islam will prove that nemesis...