Continuing our 9th of July script
Genuine diplomacy did not get a look-in, but it was a good day for a red carpet. The charade in Alaska seems to have made little difference to the stalemate over Ukraine, with presidents Trump and Putin putting on a show for their respective fans, but eliciting cynicism from the beleaguered citizens of Ukraine. The fleeting meeting brought little or nothing of old-style diplomacy to the table – although who knows what secret protocols might have been under discussion in the background, the sort of thing that often results in catastrophic consequences lurking in the dark (witness the Treaty of Versailles as the most notorious example of imposing a ‘settlement’ that ultimately resulted in World War II). The way things are going is that the US administration looks more concerned to humiliate its trading rival the European Union (as it has done in the tariffs tango) which has been so vocally on the side of Kiev, than to put its weight behind the territorial integrity of the embattled nation.
Meanwhile the far-right forces in the Netanyahu government have given the green light for the all-out assault which trashes the pet theory of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine. So much for another diplomatic dream.
P.S. After the 9th of August Sturgeon Full Moon, which lead to the above, hold your breath for the 7th of September Blood Full Moon Eclipse; watch this space…
