From Christiaan's Desk
Air Force 1 flew south on January 20th and returned empty of cargo and passengers. That was 11 days ago. I have the feeling that the plane will be on stand by for a while longer, and that probably will also be true for Marine 1. And golf course outings will not be covered anytime soon by the secret service, except for that detail that's stationed in Florida to "protect" that weird aberration of a former US president. Indeed, Joe, our Joe, is too busy cleaning up the mess and confusion left behind by an uncooperative former white house administration. This was not at all a well-arranged transition of power as we have come to expect.
I am glad to hear that on the 20th of January, our new administrator in chief went global, parking pressing local issues for the next day. "Joining the Mayor of Paris" as Senator Ted Cruz from Texas denigrated our return to the Paris Climate Accord, our national dialogue on climate change will be heard in concert with all the other national dialogues that together are needed to script the play for our humanity's survival on this planet. I rejoice in the US joining of the accord again, knowing full well how incredible lacking that accord actually is. And for health guys like me, I am happy that Dr. Fauci can be talking again with the WHO, where we as a nation have rejoined that most relevant club of health professionals.
There is a whole list of accords and treaties that need to be re-joined, re-signed, updated, and even more importantly, ratified. I myself would like to put the emphasis on banning all things weaponry, mostly mass destructively, and ranging from nuclear, chemical, and biological to the large amounts of the small stuff, like small arms, cluster bombs, landmines. It would be nice if the US could find it in her bosom to also do away with that dilemma of promoting human rights in theory and then ignoring them in the realpolitik of domestic and international "circumstances." Our Joe understands that, slowly grown to "see that dilemma" after decades in DC. In that regard, I hope that Jimmy Carter can whisper some words of wisdom to that the new man at State, Anthony Blinken, and also give an earful to the brass and rank and file in the many departments of that (in any democracy dangerous) Department of Homeland Security. And for the sake of keeping this country full of dilemmas and bipolar politics together, I hope that some good mental health specialists can start work on the repair needed in that party that recently has gone haywire in its lust for and abuse of power during the last four years.
Indeed big changes are, happening in DC, not only around the drama of the assault on the Capital but even more so in the return to constructive engagement in the big tents of the United Nations system.
Christiaan Morssink.
