As the West celebrates the apparent expansion of NATO into Central Europe, Russia is making a concerted bid to achieve a strategic victory of its own: dominance of the energy resources in the Caspian Sea region.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Russia's Oil Grab

But if financial strains are so apparent during an expansion, what's going to happen in a recession?

FORBES: Busted

The bottom line is that increases in GDP statistics caused by monetary and fiscal stimulus signals an economic expansion that is more apparent than real.

FORBES: 2 Percent Economic Growth: Real or Apparent?

While unchecked genocide in Chechnya, a legitimated Russian nuclear deal with Iran and apparent acquiescence to Russian interference in NATO expansion decisions would figure high on any list, Mr. Clinton may have done the most harm in an area that has received far less public attention the imposition of new constraints on U.S. options to defend against missile attack.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The Clinton Missile Gaffe

What has enabled Groupon to grow so fast has been the apparent success of CEO Andrew Mason in managing old-school basics like hiring, motivation, marketing, and international expansion albeit at a rapid pace.

FORBES: Groupon��an Ordinary Company for a Revolutionary New Era