Every action has a reaction. This is a principle, based on common sense, that everyone involved in foreign affairs should internalise.  Only they don’t.

” If I put a line of so-called “defensive” rocket bases along the Russian frontier there is nothing the Russians are powerful enough to do about it at the moment.  But what would happen if a nationalistic regime sought to get  even for this humiliation in the future?”

“If I keep expanding the EU into the Baltic countries, Roumania, Bulgaria, even Ukraine,  I might be successful for a few years.  But how will the Russians react if and when they feel powerful enough to do something about it?  We are enfringing upon their sphere of influence . Is it necessary? Does Roumania, for instance,  fit comfortably into the EU, or are we empire building because we can?”

Well, we are now learning the lesson of hubris and arrogance.  West has done both of the above, and has forgotten that there is genuine nostalgia in Russia for the old Empire and for great power status.  Surprise! Surprise! Russians are hugely enjoying the discomforture of the EU as their country forces a huge number of Syrians to move to Western Europe.  Americans are aghast at the blatant interference in the election of Rusisn government hackers, who are demonstrating how to get even – and possibly get an American President to their liking, at little cost to themselves.

The relevance to Epicurus? Epicurus would at all, times advise going slowly, thinking things through, avoiding enfuriating the opposition, seeking friends out of enemies, not taking advantage of temporary weaknesses.  In other words, calm moderation.  Seems the establishment in the United States is getting its come-uppance both at home and abroad.  It isn’t surprising.

The killing by police of innocent black Americans is a terrible running scandal. It can partially be explained by sheer fear on the part of the police – so many people now carry loaded guns that it is, maybe, understandable that policemen are tempted to shoot first and ask questions afterwards. But most shootings seem to be unprovoked and the result of poor training and lack of community connection and interaction.

At a time when violent crime is actually on a downward trend the gun lobby and politicians in general pretend that police violence has nothing to do with them. This while police forces throughout the country are being militarised to look like an occupying army. The police are no longer regarded as friends and protectors, but as rough and hostile to the people who pay their wages. And this comment comes from a white man.

The whole system of justice is being called into question.  Charles Blow of the New York Times thinks the problems stem from the way black people are represented in the media, the grimness of the ghettos, the joblessness, poverty and lack of education. Everywhere you look, whether it is bank lending, poor investment, mass incarceration for idiotic misdemeanors, inadequate public transport, poor schools, even sub-standard food shops – everything seems to disadvantage the black poor. It’s a miracle that some black people become wealthy enough to move out of the ghettoes. Social media and videos now bring these problems into our homes.

The cause of police violence cannot be simple racism because so many policemen are themselves black.  Control  of the police is vested in local authorities, not the Federal government, and all too often state politicians instinctively side with the police, whatever the circumstances.  Until they have the courage to hire police chiefs who have the courage to instill discipline, nothing much will change.  But, of course, guns and fear will remain the explanation for police shootings.  Horrifying.