MEMES OVER GENES

The initial Hague Conference in 1899 : the international community's first multilateral attempt to place limits on war  As we reach the grim third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, it feels like we've entered a parallel universe – one where the last 80 years didn't happen. At the very least, we seem to be in a world where an event that took place 80 years ago this year – one that reshaped the entire course of international politics – has been erased from the collective memory. The date I'm referring to is June 26, 1945, and the event was the signing of the United Nations Charter. In the universe where this event did actually occur, on that day the so-called 'great powers' – and all the other nation states at the table (those that weren't there have mostly come on board since) – made a solemn commitment. Their commitment was not only to jointly and severally maintain international peace and security, but also to take all steps necessary to rest...

UKRAINE: THE FUNDAMENTAL MORAL QUESTION " The fundamental moral question, " Elon Musk informs us, " is this: How many more years of death in trenches and billions of dollars of corruption do you want? " It's a good question: the war has been going on far too long. But fundamental? I beg to differ.  To begin with, it really isn't a moral question - it's a purely practical one. The conflict in Ukraine has plainly become a bottomless pit of lives and money - that's not in dispute. Whether the means used thus far to win the battle have been effective in terms of blood and treasure is certainly a question worth asking. But it's a question better answered by strategists and accountants than moralists. The question anyone concerned with moral issues should be asking is quite different: Is this a battle worth fighting ? That's the really fundamental question. Here the lines are clearer. What is Ukraine fighting for ? Is it fighting to obtain more ter...