The elementary obstruction and homogeneous spaces

Let $k$ be a field of characteristic zero and ${\bar k}$ an algebraic closure of $k$. For a geometrically integral variety $X$ over $k$, we write ${\bar k}(X)$ for the function field of ${\bar X}=X\times_k{\bar k}$. If $X$ has a smooth $k$-point, the natural embedding of multiplicative groups ${\bar k}^*\hookrightarrow {\bar k}(X)^*$ admits a Galois-equivariant retraction. In the first part of the paper, over local and then over global fields, equivalent conditions to the existence of such a retraction are given. They are expressed in terms of the Brauer group of $X$. In the second part of the paper, we restrict attention to varieties which are homogeneous spaces of connected but otherwise arbitrary algebraic groups, with connected geometric stabilizers. For $k$ local or global, for such a variety $X$, in many situations but not all, the existence of a Galois-equivariant retraction to ${\bar k}^*\hookrightarrow {\bar k}(X)^*$ ensures the existence of a $k$-rational point on $X$. For homogeneous spaces of linear algebraic groups, the technique also handles the case where $k$ is the function field of a complex surface.