‘Unleash’ is the favourite word now in Washington, DC and in various capitals of old/new Europe. ‘Unleash the Ukrainians!’ some people say, encouraging attacks inside Russia with Western weapons. ‘Unleash the Israelis!’ other people say, as if the destruction of Gaza has been disciplined and constrained. ‘Unleash’ somebody, somewhere, for some reason, is the new policy consensus. It’s not clear what any of this unleashing is meant to obtain besides more visible destruction. For instance, the official American war aims in Ukraine appear to be more or less the same ones it urged the Ukrainians to reject a long time ago when the Russians gave support: a stable border with Russia; free navigation of the Black Sea; and membership for Ukraine in the EU. An aim of the Gaza campaign, according to American officials, is still a ‘two-state solution’, whatever that means. Talleyrand remembers the old days, when the war party shouted, ‘unleash Chiang!’ Back when it had real aims and was glad to reveal them. Thankfully, Chiang Kai-shek stayed leashed and the world avoided another big war. Or maybe, as someone once said, it’s too soon to tell. Talleyrand is free today. But if you enjoyed this post, you can tell Talleyrand that their writing is valuable by pledging a future subscription. You won't be charged unless they enable payments. © 2024 Talleyrand |