In 2009, the sea-change brought on by Barack Obama in the White House was only part of the story. The world economy underwent a partial meltdown as 2008 came to a close, and 2009 began with a surplus of despair. A man who had campaigned on Hope and Change ran into economic reality. Meanwhile, in Europe, the eurozone 's troubles threatened the very existence of the European project, a project that the leaders of Europe had developed for 60 years. The Chinese curse, may you live in interesting times, had come to pass.

Jeff Myhre founded the Kensington Review in the autumn of 2002. He attended the University of Colorado where he double majored in history and international affairs. He earned his PhD at the London School of Economics in international relations. He is a member of both the Foreign Policy Association and the World Policy Institute.