Now, the most optimistic dreams can get dented by the prospect of people plundering the planet.

When demonstrations against sexual violence erupted in Delhi, the Indian president s son denounced the protesters as dented and painted. Some politicians have described rape victims as adventurous.

It was obvious that the prisoners had been subject to psychological torture and extreme physical hardship. The tiny radiator in each cell could hardly have dented the October to April frost.

Enthusiasm for America s self proclaimed mission to fight for freedom around the world was dented, not least in the US itself, by the bloody catastrophe of Vietnam. An estimated two million Vietnamese died in a war that did not free them.

By stoking Buddhist violence against the Rohingya, the regime aims to damage Suu Kyi and the NLD s chances of victory in two ways. If she speaks out for the Rohingya, her appeal among Buddhists, the vast majority of Myanmar s citizens, may be dented enough to preserve the army s grip on power.

In fact, faith in the market has been dented, while trust in government and regulation is increasing. After decades of consensus that the state should set the rules and otherwise leave the private sector alone, the state is now widely seen as a beneficial force that should play an active role in the economy.

India s achievement is all the more striking given that the Pakistani terrorist attacks on Mumbai India s financial nerve center and commercial capital in late November 2008 came in the midst of the crisis. The terrorists dented the worldwide image of India as an emerging economic giant, a success story of the era of globalization, and a magnet for investors and tourists.

Only three months ago, Kan was chosen as the DPJ s top leader to restore its public image, which had been severely tarnished by political financing scandals involving his predecessor as prime minister, Yukio Hatoyama, and a separate scandal involving Ozawa. Hatoyama s mismanagement of Japan s relations with the United States, centered on the relocation of a Marine base in Okinawa, had also dented the DPJ s standing.

Conventional thinking in the Middle East has largely been built on Israel s overwhelming military strength, together with the disunity and lack of purpose of Arab leaders. But, in less than two months, the almost mythic power of the region s most powerful army has been dented, and Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah s leader, has come across as a steadfast and determined leader, in sharp contrast to the usual behavior of heads of Arab government.