OLIVIER VANDECASTEELE

Sa trop longue saison en enfer a pris fin, enfin. Il convient de remercier tous seux qui ont contribué à ce dénouement. Certes les conditions qui ont prévalu n'étaient pas les meilleures. On n'ouliera pas que l'innocence de l'un méritait plus que l'échange avec un individu de mauvais aloi. Un pays se doit de protéger les siens mème si le coût moral est difficile à avaler.

Il faut espérer que le calcul politique ne vienne pas salir une nouvelle fois soulagement et appaisement. Si l'on a du négocer avec le diable il est temps de refermer les portes de l'enfer. La grande discrétion des négociateurs  belges et autres intermédiaires mérite reconnaissance et repect.

HERE COMES DESANTIS

Trump came with a bang. Desantis arrived with a glitch.

Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, announced he is running for the presidency. He tried to do this with a grand gesture, under the watchful eye of Elon Musk. His chosen Twitter venue imploded...

He and Trump are made of the same cloth. He appears sometimes better informed but what difference does it make if he is just as conservative and malign as his rival? At the end of the day they are both parochial, bigoted and world phobic. The other Republican candidates are mere parsley in this Juggernaut of monsters.

It might be interesting to see how both will try to annihilate one another. DeSantis has the better wife+kids photo-op but Trump has the better troops. They will only agree on one issue, to hasten President Biden's demise.

Biden will take full advantage of the playtime which will befall him, while the Republicans will feast on mutual destruction. The President will nevertheless have his hands full battling issues home and abroad and fighting the age factor and the specter of a Kamala Harris succession, which for some reason would be a mixed blessing to many Democrats who do not warm up to her personality.

The GOP might be reluctant to make Biden's tenure even more shaky, while they have to deal with a royal feud in their own ranks. It sounds like the War of the Roses but there are only thorns there, no flowers.

TINA TURNER

I can't stand the rain.....You left us without an umbrella....We miss you !

HIROSHIMA MON AMOUR ?

The G7/G20 gathered in Hiroshima. They were joined by the Ukranian president, who made the other participants look small.  The support for Zelensky by the G7 was clear in sharp contrast with the embarrassed body language prevailing in the G20 . 

The G7 remains a useful tool but it is also showing its age.  Meant to be the custodian of the post-WWII grand design (World Bank, IMF) it no longer rules uncontested. It is normal that, for the time being, Russia is a pariah state by choice. China should be invited to the G7 because it is becoming absurd to claim ownership of the world's future when its second most important stakeholder is not part of the decision. China might very well decline (it probably would). After all it shines in the BRICS, which surpasses the weight of the G7. The USA remain still by far the world's most innovative economy and soft-power model, equal to none.

The Economist gave Dr. Kissinger the well-deserved honor to spell out his vision of world affairs anno 2023. The professor/diplomat remains the ultimate virtuoso in his ability to find order in the chaos, albeit at a non-negligeable cost. It can be assumed that even under the current blackened skies he would still find a way to engage Putin, a challenge nobody can take on today. His analysis of China is also pertinent, taking into account its proven enduring cultural DNA. 

Western leaders, with the exception of President Macron, act too often as car dealers. They fix but seldom repair or rebuild new. In the G20, India or Indonesia i.a. have ambitions that can no longer be ignored. Most Arab states are too happy to give the US a headache after decennia of kotowing. The Western alliance is becoming a push and show performance wherein they all end up making the pilgrimage to Kiev and end up returning, even smaller, to their imperiled homelands. President Biden is respected but his "grand father" style and an insecure power projection lack both grandeur (Obama) and punch (Trump). Truth which fails to convince lacks sustainability. What made Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy so irresistible was also his unshakable self-confidence and his wicked, often unorthodox approach to the most complex issues. He assumed full responsibility for the many unsavory collateral damages done (Chili, Cambodia, Vietnam, i.a.) in the name of the law of cynicism. He did not have to read Machiavelli or Tsun Tzu to be adept to their ways.

Everybody sees how the world is falling to pieces. As in Hiroshima, leaders continue for the time-being to wait it out or to ignore primary courtesy (Lula didn't meet Zelensky). This doesn't stop the multiplication of online dating between various actors who no longer obey by yesterday's rules and only take joy in the embezzlement on the back of the former riches. Hiroshima stands for a terrible tragedy, the proper setting maybe for the current prevailing mood, wherein too many countries formerly in sync have become uncoupled (Israel, Hungary...)

Quel livre immense on composerait de tous les faits qu'on a crus, et dont il fallait douter.  (Voltaire)

LE PRINCE LAURENT

Les quatre émissions VTM sur le prince Laurent étaient bien faites. Elles étaient aussi souvent blessantes.

Le prince n'est pas un sujet facile. Le principal journaliste a fait preuve de tact et d'une certaine réserve. Certains politiques ont une nouvelle fois fait la démonstration de leur mauvaise foi. 

Pour qui a fréquenté le prince, certaines observations n'ont rien apporté de vraiment révélateur. Au demeurant l'interessé ne s'est jamais caché de ses frustrations et de ses sentiments.

L'homme méritait un traitement plus éclairé. Son intelligence, sens de l'humour et une générosité parfois étonnante n'ont pas été retenus. Ses faux pas (quelle âme est sans défauts ?) ont fait la joie des pharisiens.

La famille immédiate du prince méritait en tout cas davantage de considération.

L'éclairage dont ont bénéficié la reine Elisabeth et Leopold III était interessant et opportun.

Que l'on ne s'y trompe pas, il n'est pas nécessaire d'être royaliste pour prendre le parti de l'équité .

LOCH NESS IN THE USA

The Loch Ness mysterious habitant stirs the emotions every time it ''appears". The same occurs when Trump invades the media. He is a born entertainer, a Jerry Lewis turned evil, at ease in his doomed psyche of lies and insult. His madness normalizes Putin almost...Il faut le faire .

His stamina is undisputed. Having to confront this stone age monster must be worrisome for the current president who prioritizes truth over lie, gravitas over bluster. Compared to Trump's virtuosity in verbal menagerie, Biden appears tame.

Europeans underestimate the damage inflicted by Trump on the United States and the world, where his bluff and insecurities have become the tools for trapping America in the ridicule of vanity. His North Korean pas de deux, his love-fest with MBS or his disdain for most things European (with the exception of  royalty and Putin) speak louder than words.

He might return though, and the clique of uninformed and dubious characters might become yet again the core of his court. Every Don also has strong family ties, so does Trump. He might double down, giving his offspring slots or visibility wherein they might even be more lethal than in their previous attire.

The waiting game has started. The danger is that bad actors in the world will prefer to wait and see if the fool might reach the finish line, rather than deal with an internationalist, informed President Biden. The monster would be a godsend for the evil doers who would pile up the flatteries, while others, mostly Europeans would run for cover. 

Americans are divided in almost equal halves. A few wise individuals suffice to tilt the balance towards the better. Trump might also fall victim to his histrionic Nero-like temperament which is not exactly tuned to the psyche of a large segment of the believers who are part of his blinded flock. Finally Biden's dignity might be more persuasive than an embarrassing, further infuriating tiresome performance.

The Loch Ness monster had better stay out of sight....

POUTINE ET LE NEANT

Poutine préfère généralement apparaitre dans un espace démesuré ou dans la distance. L'homme est manifestement mal à l'aise dans la proximité. Ses apparitions sont conçues pour lui donner une dimension qui lui fait défaut. Il faut du talent pour réclamer un supplément d'extérieur. Hitler, avec l'aide d'Albert Speer, avait le génie de la mise en scène. Poutine fait plouc. 

Cet aspect médiocre de l'apparance, comme de la mise en scène, ne doit pas tromper...Quand les soldats d'opérette ouvrent les les portes dorées du Kremlin, le petit homme maladroit qui apparait est en réalité plus dangereux qu'un scorpion, plus opaque qu'une pieuvre.

Le monde n'a d'autre choix que de devoir affronter l'horreur qui s'est emparée de tous les continents. Le défilé de nouvelles insupportables est devenu permanent.

Ce qui est aussi unquiètant dans la guerre en Ukraine c'est l'opprobre qu'elle a activé envers tout ce qui touche à la Russie. Le climat oppressif  que ce confit  impose à l'Europe arrive à ressortir les préjugés et antipathies du temps du rideau de fer.

Poutine porte une double responsabilité, de crimes de guerre, mais aussi de génocide culturel. Par conséquent, toute la culture russe est désormais suspecte, infréquentable . Anna  Karénine ne se jette plus sous le train, elle est poussée. Il serait tragique que Tchékhov devienne à son tour la victime du maître du Kremlin...L'Europe est désormais aux prises avec un drame Shakespearien dans lequel le sang finit par tout contaminer, comme dans Macbeth.

A court terme cette guerre est sans issue. Plus elle se prolonge plus il deviendra difficile de réengager toutes les parties à ce conflit. Ce dernier est devenu une autre nouvelle forme de guerre, ancrée dans le paradigme de Samuel Huntington. Par conséquent, tout rapprochement ou identification avec la Russie sont devenus tabou. 

Il a fallu Poutine pour donner le coup de grâce au'' roman russe ''...

HET VLAAMS CANON

Vlaams minister Weyts (!) heeft het Vlaams Canon voorgesteld. Het is vooralsnog voorbarig om dit Opus te beoordelen. Het is wel opvallend hoe de eerste reacties nu al duidelijk  een bepaalde orientatie suggereren. Dit was voorspelbaar, sinds het initiatief toch aanleunt bij de geestesrichting van de N-VA.

Waarschijnlijk is dit Canon minder gericht op de toekomst dan op de vertrouwde themas die trouwens aanleiding geven tot de spanningen die nu zijn ontstaan met hedendaags cultuurbeleid en keuze. De meer overtuigende Vlaamse schrijvers en cratieve personaliteiten zullen waarschijnlijk niet worden  aangesproken door deze Soviet paedagogie.

De voorstelling waarop niemand stond te wachten is niet de Goncourt of de Pullitzer. Het doet denken aan de kater na de inhuldiging van het vernieuwd museum in Antwerpen, wanneer de vaststelling komt dat de ersatz en politieke bijziendheid er het grotendeels halen op inhoudelijke keuzes.

MUCH ADO ABOUT A KING

Count on the British to provide for a royal spectacle. Yesterday's did not disappoint, yet...

Everything was scripted to perfection and the crowds as well as the viewers worldwide were spoiled by a once in a lifetime show. Nevertheless? the ceremonial attire and pomp had moments that came close to ridicule. The religious component was overbearing and looked absurd.

Charles III is an interesting monarch. His interests cover most issues that occupy      today's priorities. It is unfair to dwell on the past misdemeanors of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles. It was nevertheless impossible to ignore that not a single word was said about Princess Diana. Past transgressions are human and can be forgiven as long as their ownership is observed.

The silence of Prince Harry on coronation day spoke for his mother. Everybody else in this pageantry looked at times embarrassed. What was going through their minds is the stuff later books and trash will be written about.

THE CONTEMPORARY ANAMORPHOSIS

It is becoming an uphill battle to make sense of what we see. Not only is there is too much that distracts, there are too many fabrications that divert. 

The Met gala in New York was the perfect example of yet another reality turning topsy-turvy. The occasion was traditionally a pathetic salute to creative fashion. It has become Mardi Gras...

We tried to come to terms with the sequence of wars and conflicts that obeyed to some form of perverse fatality.   In the end, therapy became doable, if mostly imperfect and always unpleasant.

Nowadays one can no longer look at a perversely coherent or serial set of events. Given the multiplication of simultaneous outbreaks and frantic convulsions everywhere, one ends up looking at an anamorphosis, which is becoming too hard to decipher. 

The combined assault of flashpoints: Taiwan, Israel;  rogue state behavior: North Korea, Russia, Bielorussia, Nicaragua;  stress thresholds: Sudan, Myanmar, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Niger, Tchad, the Democratic Republic of Congo; and war: Ukraine, is creating a permanent motion disorder. Dr. Kissinger should follow up his World Order with World Chaos.

The enlightened minds feel rejected in this new form of moral derision on the back of regulated conduct and the rule of law. Hutchinson's war of civilizations is no longer a thesis, it has become an assertion. The situation is made even more murky due to the role played by the mercenaries for hire, like the Wagner group, who add a further complication. The accepted rules of strategy and warfare died some time ago. The West, mostly the USA, contributed, unfortunately so, to creating ambiguities that morphed into former objectional incursions.

The hard-core breakdown of rules of engagement should not distract from the added new wave of murky happenings: fake news, weak institutions, shaky economies and conspiracy-led disinformation, that are destabilizing trust.

There is no better illustration of the absurd in the West than the upcoming mothballed production wherein a King dressed up in medieval attire will be crowned in some ridiculous religious pageant. When undisputed priorities give way to dubious entertainment, there is patent dysfunction.

Meanwhile, next door, Ukraine is burning!