The current saga being played out by Vladimir Putin, the former spy-master and head of the Soviet Secret Police, before declaring himself Executive In Chief of the on-again-off-again Russian Democracy, with its on-again-off-again Presidency-cum-Premiership, puts this ancient, moss-back memorialist in mind of some simple truths, it might be helpful or hurtful but important to bear in mind, never-the-less.
Those who are quick to flay our President’s seeming lack of illustrious leadership and also quick to add their own ill-conceived , yet easy-to-offer counterpoints, need to hear these:
The government of Israel’s founding Premier, David Ben Gurion had his own idea of a two-state solution, long before the current one. He envisioned a state with Jews and Palestinians sharing side-by-side areas. He was also a student and devotee of the now-exiled Dalai Lama of Tibet. While the current Israeli government has every right to protect its existence and economic independence among its Middle-Eastern neighbors, it is not a true Democracy, with church-state separation. Despite its continued protective alliance with Israel, the United States was unable to bring a known criminal to justice. Meyer Lansky was accorded protection from extradition, as an Israeli citizen, while its government refused every U.S. request for extradition.
Diplomacy, justice and truth have many variations in the diplomatic processes of nations. Those who offer advice and criticism too easily and speedily need to remember one of the most ancient and still useful: “Let they voice be more eloquent than silence or keep silent.”
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