How Does He Do It? Kofi's Balanced Reaction to Mideast Crisis

Saturday, August 12, 2006: A UN sponsored ceasefire is announced between Israel and Hezbollah troops in Southern Lebanon/Eastern Iran

Saturday, August 12, 2006: Nasrallah says he will honor UN truce.
Kofi: Terrific! What an intellect!

Sunday, August 13, 2006: Nasrallah calls off ceasefire before ceasfire begins on Monday.
Kofi:

Monday, August 14, 2006: Nasrallah Boasts Only He Can Protect Lebanon
Kofi:

Tuesday, August 15, 2006: Syrian President Assad & Ahmadinejad Start Beating Chests
Kofi:

Wednesday, August 16, 2006: Israel announces that it found Syrian and Iranian Weapons in Hezbollah Town
Kofi:

Wednesday, August 16, 2006: Ahmadinejad starts a blog.
Mike Wallace: Terrific!

Thursday, August 17, 2006: Hezbollah displays a number of their Iranian/Syrian missiles on the internet. An Iranian official had previously in May admitted to supplying Hezbollah with missiles.
Kofi:

August 18, 2006: France decides to send 400 troops instead of the thousands promised.
Kofi:

Friday, August 19, 2006: Iran and Syria begin to resupply Hezbollah with weapons.
Kofi:

Saturday, August 20, 2006: The Israeli army carries out air strikes and land operations into western Lebanon attacking Hezbollah suppliers.
Kofi: Springs into action. Condemns Israel.

Sunday, August 20, 2006: Sensitive night-vision equipment recovered from Hezbollah fighters during the war in Lebanon found to come from the UN.
Kofi:

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Also, today... Jules Crittenden explains diplomacy from the French point of view:

French is the traditional language of diplomacy. Diplomacy is the art of saying one thing while doing another.

In recent weeks, France stepped forward to act as a broker of peace in Lebanon. “Act” is the key verb in that last sentence, as it now would seem that the only other verifiable part of the sentence is “in recent weeks.”

To correctly parse that sentence, one must understand that when France suggested it wanted to broker peace in Lebanon, it did not necessarily mean “broker” or “peace” or “Lebanon” in the way we might understand those words. The same is true when France further suggested it wanted to “lead” a “strong” “multinational” “force” there...

Crittenden nails it at the Boston Herald.