You know, this is just clumsy little baby steps.

There are differing accounts of what actually happened that afternoon, but since my sister is not here with us today, let me tell you the true story which is my sister's a little bit on the clumsy side.

The threat by US officials to cut off aid to Ecuador, which would amount to a measly 12 million in 2014, further evinces a clumsy approach. America s traditional sources of influence its soft power, regional alliances, and financial leverage appear to be running dry.

Instead, the world is responding to graphic images of unspeakable brutality torture by the regime or executions carried out by the opposition with sterile shows of outrage. The stream of statements, half measures, and clumsy initiatives has done little to improve the situation and, in some instances, has made things worse.

On one hand, he is wise not to have visited the Yasukuni shrine, which honors millions of Japan s war dead, including 14 Class A war criminals. On the other hand, Abe s public statements denying Japan s coercion of comfort women in China and Korea have been clumsy at best, insensitive at worst.

This threat took a heavy toll on the ECB s credibility, since an interest rate hike in the midst of the most serious financial crisis in decades was obviously absurd. No one believed it, and the ECB not only withdrew its clumsy threat the next month, but it adopted a policy of interest rate neutrality.

But now, as the realization sinks in that Chinese stock prices will not keep rising indefinitely, the CCP is taking desperate, if clumsy, measures to control the correction. All new initial public offerings have been halted, and much trading has been curtailed the central bank has been asked to help the China Securities Finance Corporation induce investors to buy shares and thus stabilize the market.