Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain. Source: https://wiki-land.wikispaces.com/
Pretzel contortions are part of the diplomatic game. In the Rising Powers Year in Review (read here), we called North Korea’s violence against the South and advanced uranium enrichment program the biggest surprise of 2010. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s New Year’s message today (see BBC article) has kept up the West’s diplomatic contortions — stand tough against the North’s aggression, while calming the waters and extending a hand for talks. Since 1938, no one wants to be seen as an appeaser, blindly waving a piece of paper high above one’s head, declaring “Peace for our time.” It’s hard to be at once Winston and Neville.
Happy New Year to all!
Image: Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain. Source: https://wiki-land.wikispaces.com/