Henry Blogs about Ukraine

Today the debris of flight MH17 is scattered across the flatlands of Eastern Ukraine where the sky rained bodies a few days ago. It was shot down, it is said,  by pro-Russian rebels.

Thus is what Henry wrote:

“Do not think a nation is a natural construct. Our nations were imposed by terror, sustained by terror and pride. And if a state is weak, has little capital to share with its citizens, angry tribes will tear it apart again.

Superpowers apart, the most advanced countries are evolving into “market states”. Large parts of any population are imprinted with a home, a country and a language. But the world’s cleverest people are mobile, making active choices about where to live, where to invest their time and skills.

A market state must be a successful brand, know its strengths and weaknesses, shape its brand around them.  It must take good care of its economy. The passive have to be energised by success and eloquent leaders.

The European Union is an assemblage of market states. It is the most advanced political construct on the planet. It has the capacity to absorb a troubled country like Ukraine, and help it to become a better place to live. Russia is determined to stop that process.

Autocrats, ideologues, “big men” hate the market state, where small people eject their leaders with a pencil mark on a ballot.

Great new powers are still emerging. They will be a powerful attractive force.  Our best defence is to show that our values work. Our way of life and our values must win the case in the court of world opinion.”

One time I heard him, say: “The main value of democracy is that it prevents the formation of a permanent ruling caste. That is a massively important value. But only a minuscule proportion of a domestic population has the faintest idea what we are defending…”

Jamie and I are spending three days doing different trails in the Glacier Lake National Park in Montana, up on the Canadian border.