The need for responsible and intuitive leadership.

For the sake of maintaining peaceful co-existence, especially in regions of our world fraught with conflict and mistrust, leadership needs to have as its central focus, the safety and welfare of the led... the ordinary man, woman and child.

Hindsight has confirmed what the world had long suspected;.. that Russia has been biding its time to make its voice heard..

Mikheil Saakashvili the Georgian leader, by his gross miscalculation of forceful crackdown in South Ossetia, had walked right into Russia's trap..

One might ask, was the Georgian leader focusing on the peace, security and overall well being of ordinary citizens of his country and the immediate region when he made his move in south Ossetia? Did he at any point consider what Russia's response might be?

Responsible and intuitive leadership that is less about self, and which has as its focus the welfare and safety of the man, woman and child on the streets, would immediately recognise the danger inherent in baiting a larger more powerful country with something to prove..

Hundreds have lost their lives and swathes of Georgia lie in ruins... so much for the Georgian leader's exploits in south Ossetia.

Events of history have shown again and again that leadership has mostly one shot at making important decisions..

Hence for leadership, hindsight is mostly a luxury..

The dangerously combustible mix of: Increased standing in the world, increased nationalistic pride and grouse against established power(s).

In the last three days Russia has been at war with Georgia, a conflict that has, if reports are to be believed, left more than 2000 civilians dead.

In the words of George W. Bush, this conflict is "occurring in regions of Georgia far removed from the zone of conflict in South Ossetia.."

As worrying, the Russian foreign minister has reportedly declared that the Georgian president "must go". This prompted what Richard Roth, CNN's U.N correspondent described as "language from another era.." on the floor of the United Nations security council.

Surely the reason why Russia is so concerned about South Ossetia wouldn't be about.. the need to change the regime in Georgia!???...?

Currently Russia (a militarily powerful country that has known its fair share of prominence) enjoys increased standing in the world.. not least because of the billions of dollars It is accruing from the sale of its oil. The increased nationalistic pride felt by Russian citizens is there for all the world to see..
The Russian federation has, in the recent past, hardly passed up on a chance to criticize the United States for what it describes as increasing U.S hegemony...

The mix of Increased standing in the world, nationalistic pride, and grouse (real or perceived) against established power(s) whilst good for a nation's psyche, should perhaps best be very carefully managed..

... Russia, Europe and indeed the world need only look back to 70 years ago to remind themselves of why..

"..If the arsonists are in charge there will never be enough firefighters"....Luis Moreno- Ocampo.

Elizabeth Rubin's article in the TIME magazine, published online on July 24 2008 is worth a read.

It describes Luis Moreno- Ocampo's [prosecutor of the international criminal courts] frustration at what he sees as the United Nations and the West being out of touch with what has been going on in Dafur, which counts 300,000 as dead and 2.5 million people as displaced.

The article describes how initial encouragement to charge Omar Hassan al-Bashir the Sudanese leader with genocide gave way to lukewarmness, and then when he [Luis Moreno- Ocampo] pressed on, accusations that he will be "responsible for a bloodbath" in Dafur.

It was interesting, his answer: "Today the people of Dafur are being killed. Today they are being destroyed and have no hope".

"Diplomatic obstruction and political accommodation" over a period of nearly three years allowed the Sudanese Leader free reign to protect perpetrators of acts of genocide, continue to terrorise the people of Dafur, as well as withhold much needed aid.

It seems that in today's complicated world of international diplomacy, the oft claimed 'big picture' view fails to take into consideration the suffering in real time, of the man, woman and child in much need of protection.

A diplomacy that is less about 'black or white' and more about 'different shades of gray' is in danger of encouraging conditions like those in Dafur..

... conditions that sadly are never in the best interests of the very people meant to be protected.