Meetings …and exclusions

Clearly, we’re in the midst of a realignment of the world order. And no matter who’s calling for “multipolarity”, the logic of power inevitably pushes these matters into bipolarity. Then the situation becomes not much different from the condition of those who’re diagnosed as “bipolar” by psychologists!! Extremely unpredictable!! And if that presents a problem at the individual level, imagine what’ll happen when you’re dealing with 192 countries!! With 9 of them having nuclear weapons to bomb us back into the Stone Age!!
One sign of the realignment, of course, is unfolding in Europe. These are the folks who insist they’re the most civilised of our human species, yet they’ve launched the deadliest wars in human history, and are engaged in one right now in Ukraine as we read!! What’s the takeaway?? Maybe being “civilised means being able to kill the highest number of people? And not having to say you’re sorry!!
The problem with these bipolar power contests is that they don’t remain at the level of “you show me yours and I’ll show me mine, and we decide on the basis of whose is bigger”. Instead, the two contestants act like magnetic poles, pulling the rest of us into one or the other camp. So, from where your Eyewitness sits, it looks like the West wants to knock Russia out of the competition, to leave only them and China in the pulling contest.
For a while, some thought that BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) would be the core of a multipolar world – but that ship has long sailed! For a host of reasons that shouldn’t detain us right now. What should detain us is how the new “great game” would affect little ole us!! And your Eyewitness isn’t talking about the astronomic price of flour, onions, and various other essentials; he’s talking about the aforementioned magnetic poles. Right now, one symptom is the Summit of the Americas (SOTA) that’s being held in Los Angeles – the (ironic) City of Angels!! After months of speculation, the US announced it ain’t inviting those pinko-lefties: Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. Among other reasons, they’re too chummy with the Ruskies!! But in any case, Cuba said they wouldn’t have attended, even if they WERE invited!! Sorta like Groucho Marx, who said he wouldn’t belong to a club that wouldn’t have him as a member!! He was also from Los Angeles!!
Anyhow, Cuba just had a meeting with ALBA. Not ABBA, dear reader – even though they’re getting together for a geriatric concert!! – but the Spanish acronym for the “Bolivarian Alliance of Americas”. They got one Caricom Member – St Vincent – to refuse the US invitation to the SOTA.
Ooooh!! America must be shivering!!

…and greetings
Essequibians are still basking in the glow from the Independence Flag Raising Ceremony that was moved from Georgetown to their town of Anna Regina. Your Eyewitness hopes the Government has taken note of the patriotic fervour that arouses folks who normally would’ve been quite blasé at the annual event. This should now be a regular feature, with the flag raising being rotated in places like Springlands, Lethem, Linden etc. we would literally be “showing the flag” to emphasise our One Guyana!
The folks in these areas are the ones who had to go to Georgetown for everything – especially to see those Ministers. But here, they were now in the Essequibian front yards – and it wasn’t even elections time!! To your Eyewitness’s delight, some of the locals took the opportunity to “give a piece of their minds” to the visiting “big ones”. This is direct democracy being fostered. It’s clear that the representative democracy isn’t working when the PNC MPs are using Parliament just for pushing histrionics!!
In the meantime, look how many jobs Essequibo got!!

…and making up
At the last G20 Meeting, Brazil’s Bolsonaro complained that Biden had snubbed him. Because he was so chummy with Trump?? Anyhow, he’s swallowed his Latin pride and says he’ll be going to LA!
Realpolitik!