I have always been comfortable with the big picture. At the drop of a hat I can talk about secular trends of all kinds, broad patterns of change the humanity faces, global twists and turns of every description. But I have always been a dunce when it comes to translating all of the above to my own affairs. As it happens, I will be retiring and moving across Europe at the time when another major war will be reshaping everything under the sun. True to form, this was the case the last time I made a major move in my life. Back then, thirteen years ago, I moved from the States to Europe as the wars in the Gulf and the Balkans were taking shape. Now I am moving from the European Union to its shady border. The small picture would come handy right now, I must confess. The big picture is for the birds. Or is it dunces?