Financial Times Commentary 6/9

Financial Times - Comment

Groupon is at a loss to justify itself

Ordinarily, I would not quibble at technology entrepreneurs making billions with a revolutionary idea. But Groupon’s IPO is disquieting, writes John Gapper http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/D47F3I/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

The dawn of Sarah Palin politics in China

We have got used to a well-oiled dictatorship with smooth leadership transitions in Beijing. But that is a false perception, writes David Pilling http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/KEDTBP/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

Syria can prove that sanctions do work

Now is the moment for the cynics to drop their criticism of sanctions, and to see them as a limited but useful tool, writes Joseph Nye http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/RNJ0C0/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

Why our masters insist on breaking the rules

When European politicians bailed out Greece, Ireland and Portugal they did not merely do something that exceeded their powers, they violated an explicit prohibition on such bail-outs, writes Jamie Whyte http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/GK4PU7/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

A Greek crisis of cronyism and corruption

We can be sure that debts amassed by the Greeks will never be paid in their entirety. A haircut and restructuring of the debt is therefore unavoidable, writes John Sfakianakis http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/TPFVAI/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

A degree of fame is the ticket to success

The philosopher A.C. Grayling has announced plans for a new private college of humanities that will charge students £18,000 a year, writes Robert Shrimsley http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/QFSOCW/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9

Race is on for Apple to wrap users in its cloud

Adding services that glue devices together increases the overall ‘stickiness’ of Apple’s universe http://link.ft.com/r/IOCBMM/ZGHBS2/GKXE28/BMCV0P/LQYHG2/SN/h?a1=2011&a2=6&a3=9