Editor, The Times
After France lost an entire army in Russia in 1812 and an equally disastrous performance in Spain, the wily Austrian minister Metternich visited Napoleon offering to come to terms with this would-be world conqueror. France could still be France but all other possessions must be given up.
Napoleon tried to con Metternich by giving a military parade demonstrating how he'd recovered militarily after all his losses. Metternich saw through the con: “I see nothing but young boys playing soldiers.”
Napoleon then flew into a rage spurning Metternich terms. He raged that he had beaten the Austrians in the past and would do so in the future.
Bad decision? You bet! It led Napoleon to Elba (temporarily) and then to St. Helena – permanently.
Bad decisions – they happen all the time. Let's start domestically – approve the Northern Gateway pipeline? This is the worst of the three proposal. The David Black proposal and the Aguilini thing, though seriously flawed, would require the building of a refinery or at least an upgrade providing a number of permanent jobs. Northern Gateway, already beset with fierce opposition, would give some temporary jobs then virtually nothing.
Bad, bad, bad decisions by the Harper government.
Another dubious decision – the Obama government's financing of arms for 'moderate Syrians' fighting Assad's regime.
This might have made sense a couple of years ago. However, with the Syrian military now involved in the fight against ICSIS in Iraq (perhaps the most vicious manifestation of religious cruelty yet) this trying to arm some 'moderate Syrians' is, at this moment, the height of folly.
Though not on par with George Bush's war on weapons of mass destruction, this stumbling gesture is par for course in U.S. policy on the Middle East.
The third dubious decision is that of the Ukraine signing an agreement with European Union. Ten years ago this would have made sense.
However, the European Union now is mired in recession plus the Ukraine is already torn apart over all of this. The reason Yanukovych (the deposed prime minister) originally turned this agreement down was it wasn't very good.
Beside that, with a powerful country complete with atomic weapons and a completely refurbished army resting on your border, isn't it a good idea to maintain good relations?
Yes, I know this is realpolitik, but that can save me from making bad decisions.
Dennis Peacock
Clearwater, B.C.