Politeness Compared in Countries Around the World

In one of innumerable summer series, short and long, to keep readers interested in the daily during the July and August months, Le Monde presents a series on politeness around the world, from Thailand, Japan, and South Korea to Israel, Russia, and Italy via Columbia, California, and the East Coast. (The Alain Salles article about Greece is perhaps the most interesting, in view of Athens' recent economic meltdown and the country's debt…)