a letter to the editor (or blurring the boundaries of information mediums)

from The Independent, 8th July 2006, obviously used without permission.

A brief Guide to Foreign Policy

Sir: Just so everyone is clear: it is "bad" for North Korea to fire missiles into the open sea, even though it is "really-not-that-bad" for Israel to fire missiles into power stations, bridges, and apartment blocks.

Meanwhile: Iran, which had opposed Saddam (who was once "relatively good" but is now "very bad"), is still just "bad".
Saudi Arabia, a feudal totalitarian state with legalised sexual apartheid ("bad"?) is nonetheless "good", but don't ask any awkward questions.

The United Sates may now kidnap and torture innocent civilians (this was previously "bad", but is now "okay, if outsourced"). Similarly, some of our allies may, from time to time, need to boil people alive (literally, in the case of President Karimov), and
whilst not "good" it would be a crass liberal simplification to call this "bad".

DR CHRIS SCANLAN
OXFORD