The myth of diplomacy

The myth of diplomacy

“The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.” In a nutshell, that is the alpha and omega of international relations related by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War. Diplomats are inconsequential like extras in a Cecil B. DeMille cinematic extravaganza. Thus, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin scoffed to Winston Churchill, “How many divisions has the Pope?” The Papal States maintained armies until their dissolution in…