As Prince William and Kate Middleton prepare to tie the knot, what are the ingredients of the ideal Royal marriage ceremony? Fairytale pageant, national communion or - for those so politically disposed - a Ruritanian waste of money, the Royal wedding occupies a unique position in the collective British imagination.

The Obama administration's Iraq policy is in chaos. Seven months after Iraq's national elections, the United States has publicly denied taking sides in the wrangling over who will be prime minister. Privately, however, the US is backing the incumbent.