I find it interesting how after years of wars, sanctions, etc between countries, neighbours, friends, relatives, the problem between them large or small, someone wants to be the winner or seemingly so and no amount of diplomacy between the two sides will prevail.

Unfortunately with this philosophy no one wins, even the perceived winner.

Two recent cases have highlighted this. The cold war and sanctions between USA and Cuba and between USA and Iran.

Diplomacy after years and years has finally brought an end with each side getting something and each side giving up something. But there are real winners. The people that matter. The citizens of these countries. The citizens who actually pay the wages of these servants who actually don’t look or act the part of a servant. Some of these servants have actually come to their senses and become diplomats and now have to face the bulls who want to carry on forever what to them is a game but costs the earth and produces nothing but misery. They bay like hounds and every screech from their mouths is the same tune that started the whole conflict in the first place. Even though the conflict, whether war or sanctions has produced no result except mounting costs and human misery they don’t care. It is the dirty side of politics whilst diplomacy is the up market kind.

And the bulls over the years have to some success made diplomats (with I have to admit unfortunately some truth) look like liars and telling enormous fibs at our expense.

Someone quipped: “You’re in America now. Our idea of diplomacy is showing up with a gun in one hand and a sandwich in the other and asking which you’d prefer.”

But look at what happens when diplomacy breaks down. See what has happened in Syria, Libya, Iraq and the Ukraine.

Someone said recently he would rather “jaw jaw than war war”. And he is right. The covering of civilisation in any human society rests on the successful conduct of politics and diplomacy.

In our country we have a war going on between the Editor in Chief of the Cayman Compass, David Legge and the Cayman Islands Premier, Alden McLaughlin.

Even an olive branch of sorts offered by McLaughlin to Legge to apologise and all might be forgiven was refused. No, Legge, wants to take it to Court and carry on making the whole situation a laughing stock – a situation that he himself made 1,000 times worse and lost most people of the country any respect they had for him.

Now to take out a law suit that is so ridiculous only lawyers will win turns the whole
affair into a full scale war.

This is what the premier said about the matter as he addressed the Progressives National Council meeting in Prospect last Monday (13)

“Mr Legge on Friday just gone had his attorneys write to the Attorney General threatening to sue the Attorney General on behalf of the Cayman Islands Government for taking away his half a million dollars of funding on the basis that doing so interferes with his freedom of expression.

“So, the Attorney General is currently considering that matter and we shall see where all of that winds up.”

I don’t understand Legge. Is it pride or just plain stupidity? I let you judge.

Winston Churchill said it best: “Diplomacy is the art of telling people to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.”

And Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, said:
“But it doesn’t take a thousand men to open a door, my lord.”
“It might to keep it open.”

And last of all:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall take flack from both sides.”- Unofficial UN Motto ― Robert Asprin, Sweet Myth-Tery of Life.