(The distinction between such honesty and a threat was lost on those present from Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia).Mr Putin's confidence also showed when he engaged opposition leaders in the audience.
More EU aid to Middle East states should be made conditional on governments engaging with opposition groups, Mr Cameron believes.
"If he thinks that he can weather this storm, then that is a serious misjudgment," Mr. Ban said, dismissing the idea that any reform plan might work without engaging the opposition and dismantling the one-party state.
He remembered that getting the policy and the congressional votes right is only half the battle — that leadership requires engaging the opposition in a philosophical debate, and bringing the public along through continuous persuasion.
Rather than engaging the opposition, the forward-looking candidate will engage the American people in a conversation about our future, keeping the focus on what we can accomplish as a nation and as individuals.
This requires engaging the opposition, not sneering at it which is what Mr Erdogan has been doing since his election victory.As the deputy prime minister for the economy, Ali Babacan, also noted this week, Turkey cannot remain immune to the economic turmoil in Europe.
Waging a kulturkampf to remove people of questionable loyalty from theatres, museums and opera houses, Fidesz reaps a double reward of engaging the opposition in yet another battle on the periphery, while ensuring that yet more budgets come under the centralised jurisdiction of the "closed circle".
"He's incredibly good at seeing the wider picture as it develops during a game and he's crafty with it: he often spends the early part of a match making simple passes and taking routine decisions, deliberately not engaging the opposition in any meaningful sense, before attacking with an inside ball or a half-break the moment he spots the first sign of defensive drift.
We begin by presenting our respective research agendas and our concerns about "engaging the opposition". We then narrate the sequence of our efforts: to talk and think together, generate analyses and interpretations, and then interrupt ourselves only to begin again.
"We just keep our heads down and keep working and hopefully, hopefully come the end of the season, we're not last, at least". The drama on the pitch was greeted with exchanges on the touchline, with Paatelainen engaging with opposition fans.
