Western complicity in the demise of international law

LISTENING to the news can be educational.

- ASHLEY GREEN-THOMPSON

I had to look up the meaning of the word “emarche” as it’s been featuring prominently this week. A demarche is merely a formal diplomatic representation of one government's official position, views, or wishes on a given subject to another government in order to persuade, inform, or gather information.In recent events, the South African government presented its unhappiness about the behaviour of the US ambassador to this country. I imagine they reminded Leo Brent Bozell III about the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 that is universally agreed to be the rules-based framework to facilitate friendly diplomatic relations. He can’t be going around shooting his mouth off and saying he doesn’t care about what our courts say. He has to respect our laws and institutions.

Old Bozell is also empowered by his orange boss to act the fool, but his behaviour speaks to a more serious concern about the increasing disregard by governments of the rules that are meant to maintain peace and "friendly relations" between nations.