[massysett]

I can't speak to 2, but they often praise America. They say America has an unparalleled ability to assimilate immigrants. They also praise other odd things, like the entrepreneurial spirit of American religion, or the power of technology transfer between government researchers and industry, or the high productivity of American freight railroads. One reason I read the Economist is because they see beyond the daily noise to pick out the news that requires digging and thought.