It is an irrefutable fact of life and human nature that New Year’s resolutions for self-improvement on a grand scale are “made to be broken”. Ergo, instead of perpetuating my annual failures, this year I’m simply resolving not to concern myself with vexations over which I have no control, will never understand and don’t need to give a tinker’s dam (or damn) about anyway.… Read the rest
The fate of two million blameless, miserable, often terrified civilians in Gaza came down to which variation of words diplomats and politicians in safe places could agree on. The answer was: none. The next “negotiating session” should open with the words of the leader whose name is synonymous with wisdom: “Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit – YOU choose.”… Read the rest
It’s not unreasonable to expect that those in a position to influence the war in Gaza, or make real progress against climate change, would know better than to be blindsided. Instead, they’ve willfully proven the veracity of Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegard’s tenet:“There are two ways to be fooled/ One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”… Read the rest
Sixteen years before UN Resolution 181 divided Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, Mahatma Gandhi noted: “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.”
What is happening to the children of Gaza ninety-two years later is stupefying proof of how heedless hatred, venal cruelty and short-sightedness displace gentle wisdom.… Read the rest
I’d like nothing better than for the answer to the headline on this blog to turn out to be a resounding “no”. But nothing in the cast of leading characters, attendees and past history gives reason to believe the climate summit known as COP28 will, to mangle a Rolling Stones lyric, get us anything like what we want, let alone come close to what we need.… Read the rest
Having recently once again cheated the Biblical wisdom “The days of our years are threescore years and ten…”, I have found myself wondering why it is that the wisdom that is supposed to come with age continues to be overtaken by an increasing number of things that bemuse, amuse, sadden and often as not, irritate me. … Read the rest
Hamas sees the pitiless waste of Palestinian lives as glorious. Israelis believe they are confronting an existential threat that must be eliminated at any cost. In the end, neither will be able to claim a definable military or moral victory in Gaza. But all is not yet lost.… Read the rest
A poem many of my generation tacked on our bedroom wall included the line: “And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.” Depending on your point of view, that was either comforting or disconcerting. I wonder which one the author, American poet and writer Max Ehrmann, would have felt if he’d penned it today, rather than in 1927.… Read the rest
As any journalist who has covered one can tell you, war encapsulates the best and worst of humanity. Protagonists excel at cruelty, barbarism, hatred and dissembling. Innocent victims display unfathomable degrees of courage, kindness and resilience. Gaza has brought forth a another element; passionate partisanship driven by ill-informed prejudice and intellectual cowardice.… Read the rest
That the Gaza war will be prolonged, merciless and shape global politics for years to come is self-evident. Unless the “never go to war without a plan for the aftermath” lesson of Iraq and Afghanistan is heeded, however, the shape will be moulded by a line from George Bernard Shaw’s Caesar and Cleopatra: “And so, to the end of history, murder shall breed murder, always in the name of right and honour and peace, until the gods are tired of blood and create a race that can understand.”… Read the rest