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| Picture courtesy of BBC news |
Anyone who has taken on the playground bully knows how hard it is to confront aggression without physical intervention; yet how much trickier is it when we cannot really discern who the real aggressor is? What if both are equally to blame?
We used to happily bandy about the phrase 'they need their heads banging together' but who would seriously say the 'get tough' stance would actually work in Syria today.
After the ripples of Milband's surprise tsunami were felt across the great pond, nearly drowning Obama in a wave of over democracy; in a further shock development, Russia has become the voice of reason.
Who'd have thought, even a week ago, that anything other than a US/France military intervention was likely. Yet here we are today, with President Putin offering all a face saving way back from the precipice. A seemingly weak United Nations, unable to come up with the answers that anyone wants to hear can once again take centre stage, over-seeing Russia's proposed disarmament of the Syrian chemical arsenal.
Obama can hang back and assist in such action; Cameron can stop hand-wringing and also offer specialist expertise to any inspection; Hollande can get back to concentrating on the myriad of other reasons for which he is the most unpopular leader in French living memory.
So well done to the Russians! World Peace isn't going to suddenly break out but its a start.
And what has this to do with Kids today? Well I, for one, will remember, next time I have to intervene in a schoolyard bustup, and I can't see the wood for the trees; perhaps I'll just remember to listen to the small voice of reason that may come from an unexpected source......and I may not have to follow the inevitable path of escalation , too.
