Thursday 27 March 2014

epimethius

Ever ready to take recourse to its core values—seemingly that of safeguarding the interest of powerful industry lobbies that know no bounds of patriotism but are exceedingly well-versed in all sorts of jingoism—the United States invoked a star-spangled jibe at its European allies during the G7 summit, which seemed to make quick amends of all America's recent transgressions and wiped the collective memories of those in attendance.

Of course the character of the meeting was drastically changed by its omission, though not shying from acknowledging the new by-laws and membership, and though some of the original rhetoric—that of curtailing nuclear proliferation, made the edit of more immediate and reactionary issues however countered with a demonstration of crouching prowess courtesy of the North Koreans with a test-launch of mid-range rockets—no one attempted to ignore what is happening on the periphery of Europe with the Russian incursion into the Crimea and further advances expected by the West. The exhortation for action and unity was certainly not an empty one, nothing schmaltzy or sentimental (but perhaps would have been taken so in a different context), since we all are really heirs to this peace, though probably not in the same ways as the venue was constructed, but it was a opportune one that has been maybe overlooked, as a comforting elision. In order to sway, I believe, those resistant to adopting wholesale the latest free-trade pact with the US, negotiated in secret and having accumulated many justified reservations over the standards of environmental and labour protections—or copyright embodied by the elusive Atomium landmark of Belgium and promises of endless prosperity that seem impossible to fulfill on a mutual level without losers, the current situation was nuanced to embrace a fuel-independence for Europe that America could help alleviate, as if by opening up a valve that would magically siphon US frack-gas (refined) to the Continent, with the condition of accepting all the other conditions, like accepting GM foods without stint or disclosure. Hopefully politicians will realise the awkwardness of this pitch afterwards and appreciate that acceptance of a commercial-accord is not the moral-imperative called upon.