BIDEN

Most men of Biden's age have a hard time balancing normal physical deterioration with intact intelligent agility. This exercise can be painful and humiliating. One lives under unforgiven scrutiny to prove that undisputable assaults that are part of the aging process do not necessarily come with a diminished analytical acuity. Accordingly ,a lot is being written about King Lear in the White House...wrong ! 

The Ukrainian hellfire has the expected horrible consequences. Kiev became also "the" place to be seen, recently by African leaders who would do better doing some house cleaning at home, and to understand that neutrality between evil and right equals  betrayal. This sad show only reminds us how much Mandela is missed.

Time is running out. So are options. The next NATO Summit in Vilnius will be important. Since Putin does not want to enter into a rational diplomatic alternative,  Zelensky is entitled to receive even larger support from the EU and NATO. The time of "niceties" is over. Containment is right as long as it does not equal unwarranted restraint.

The US is the only factor that really counts. China has to be checked, the EU needs to remain united, others should just abstain if they cannot choose their camp. 

The Biden administration is slowly but surely laying down a couple of markers. This is also done bearing in mind that if Trump were reelected, the ceiling would fall down. Never imagine that this avatar without conviction or scruples spends his time in Mar-a-Lago just playing golf or hiding boxes. He surely has his pen-pals on edge. Hence, Biden is discreetly preempting any form of possible nefarious backlash, in case he were to lose the presidency. He is reshaping the deck of cards with major players: China, the EU, the Middle East, Australia. Africa is a moving target for now, more inclined to favor short-term gain over long-term commitment. The BRICS are a vicious challenge, that needs urgent attention.

It is obvious that the world order which was the topic of yesterday's sophisticated Davos exchanges is no longer. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to replace the former marble blocks by a more pragmatic material, which might allow a renewed, forward-looking order. Putin is showing how a provincial, unyielding paranoia could end up in another Hitlerian Gotterdammerung .

Old men (and women) are occasionally tolerated for a bon môt. They should however be listened to when they get it right, although their speech might lack sparkle.  Besides, the existential choice is once more about enlightenment over obscurantism. So it is wise to stay with the person one respects, rather than to give a free ride to the one everybody in his right mind distrusts. Unintended consequences should be avoided!