Obviously From Central Casting

Breedlove (honestly, that is what he's called, I could hardly credit it reading Der Spiegel this morning) and Nuland (another name from some orwellian nomenklatura) better-known for her use of 'language') have faces to match, and doubtless minds to match their faces, seem to have a programme.   In Eastern Europe war is seriously raised.  Thus:  lots and lots of (outdated) arms can be  sold profitably; Ukraine can be partitioned (seeing as it couldn't quite be managed all in one gulp it'll be tried slice by slice); most of all, we all look away to the east.  We, Europeans and European Russia, look away from the Mediterranean.

President Putin and President Renzi (Italian prime ministers are also called 'president') had a three-hour discussion this week (after Renzi had made appropriate gestures in Kiev)  on setting up a naval blockade of the North African coast.  The Italian gunships had been sent earlier and are 'exercising' close to the more important oil ports and off-shore oil and gas infrastructures.  However, Italy couldn't manage more on its own; certainly it can't manage any land operations (though, in all honesty, it has its advantages).  Now, who is bestest friends with Egypt?  Who has  lots of tanks?  And military training links, and Mediterranean and energy interests?

The Mediterranean sea is becoming to Russia (in the older sense of 'becoming').  All those fleets with ports in Greece, ports in Cyprus, ports and facilities in those vulnerable smaller countries of the EU being abused to save private, non-state creditors and threatened because they try to save their populations from the collapse of health, education, housing, energy provision,  employment levels:  in the name of austerity.  Furthermore, and notably, the government in Athens continues to support the Orthodox Church.

So while Central Casting conducts a deadly propaganda war in the east, this

jihad of human misery spearheads the battle for the control of Africa's energy resources and calls into being a Russian conquest of Mediterranean bases and power sought since - oooh, I don't know when.

Between half a million and a million people in the boats of the desperate are waiting to be launched into Europe this Spring.  Those who make it to land (and the Italians are and will be doing their best to get them there) won't stop here.  Only international intervention has the resources to meet their kinds of needs and Italy offers not even state-level help; private charity does what it can but it cannot meet state-level assaults.

Soon all this will reach the Security Council of the UN.  There will be Europe and Russia pointing at the obvious and the desperate need to act, while Central Casting put NATO and the United States in Ukraine.