And Libya goes on...

[jmm99]

MAL .....

Mike,
I would have vote as France did. May be because of youth idealism. Also, because there are national interrest a stake in neigbouring countries.

What ? You are placing me amongst all the Old Ba$tards of SWC - you'd think I'm going to turn 69 this August !

"My" UN vote (in any case) would be based on my conclusion (well, a bit more than "me" - see next paragraph) about what is or is not in the best national interests of the US. As, for example, Dominique de Villepin represented the best national interests of France in 2003 (as I saw his performance).

When I was young and idealistic, I had a conversation (in LBJ times) with my teacher and mentor Eric Stein (a great person - still teaching into his 90s). His bottom line was along these lines: "You are still young and idealistic. You believe that if you get into a position of power you can move along great changes. Be aware that even the President of the United States is subject to many constraints. One of them is that 100s or 1000s of people will be involved in any Presidential decision."

The point, of course, is that one should not throw away one's idealism (Dr Stein didn't); but that one should temper it with realism.

Regards

Mike

[jmm99]

I didn't have this at my fingertips when I mentioned Dr Stein, but it's a great bio about Eric Stein, the person.

But what about the UN's status today? What about Iraq? And more important, what about the people who make laws and draft resolutions and create new constitutions? Can a lawyer's work make humanity's future better than its past? I ask Stein these questions in his office one morning as the radiator clanks. He tips back in his chair. I expect a hearty answer in the affirmative. But he looks at me squarely through his thick-framed glasses, and I become horrifyingly aware of the 60 years of living he has on me. "I have my doubts," he says. "I would like, by instinct, to be optimistic. But by my experience, I have constantly the feeling to control that instinct." Later, he adds: "There has been progress in human rights. I was in the chamber of the UN in '48 when they adopted universal human rights. Just think of the recognition that 'human being' included women. This was wonderful. But no one knows how long it will last. No one knows how deep the trend is. People learn from history only so well."

No one knows how long it will last. Human rights may be only a trend. I ask Stein how he has mustered such effort for so long on a project—that's what cooperative government is, really: a project—that is so intrinsically experimental, so uncertain. "It is perfectly plausible that the Earth will be destroyed," he says. "The question is, What to do now? This is what I think of." He brings up a poem by Wallace Stevens, The Man with the Blue Guitar, from which he quotes in his book Thoughts from a Bridge. A line from the poem reads, "I cannot bring a world quite round / Although I patch it as I can."

This reflects in part from whence I come.

Regards

Mike

[davidbfpo]

Just overheard a very direct report by Marie Colvin, The Times reporter in the city, very similar to "Where is NATO, this city is being shelled, why cannot they stop them?".

Undoubtedly the media are going to press on with this aspect.

A BBC report from the city has little new, such as this:

During a three-day stay in the city, we heard Nato warplanes overhead several times, but did not see or hear any fresh air strikes.

But another soundtrack became very familiar - the percussion of war. Both day and night were punctuated by the cracks, thumps, and thuds of heavy artillery and mortars.

Except for this:

A three-man French team had arrived in the city, they said, to help pinpoint the location of Col Gaddafi's forces.

Given the speculation about AQ's role I liked this:

Please don't think we are al-Qaeda," he said. "We all agreed not to shave until Col Gaddafi was gone," he said. "Nobody thought it would take this long.

Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13188444