The US president has indicated the world can expect more of the same unyielding diplomacy in his second term

THAI TALK : How poverty became the PM’s political ally

A shrewd politician, they say, never says never. But PM Thaksin Shinawatra, it seems, has gone one better: He insists on saying “never” as often as possible. He then disregards the previous “never” so that he can say “never” again without anybody remembering what the previous “never” was about.