Thursday, November 04, 2004

How to lose friends and alienate people: the model

Today's most pathetic non-event is former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak's declaration that he's returning to political life, as he's been threatening to do for ages.
Personally, I always thought Barak was unfairly blamed by his colleagues and by the country for the collapse of the peace process; by making such a generous offer to Arafat, he did exactly what he should have done in order to end the conflict, and it wasn't his fault that Arafat threw it back in his face.
Still, there is no question that Barak was a failed politician, who alienated almost everyone who came into contact with him, plus the entire electorate. At root, it's a personality defect; this man/robot has no emotions, something he himself admitted. As a result, he can't understand or deal with people, and people can't understand or deal with him.
The greatest proof of this is his decision to return although he has become such a figure of fun and derision in the press, in his party and in popular culture. If he can't read between those lines, he really shouldn't be leading the country.

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