There is a story told about the late Madeleine Albright. Once, exasperated by her hectoring, Yasser Arafat walked out of a meeting. She ran after him – in heels over cobblestones, no less – wagging her finger and insisting that nobody does this to an American Secretary of State. Well, he did.
We now learn, in this strange Niger saga (minus the yellowcake uranium, this time), that America sent its number-two diplomat, Victoria Nuland, to read the riot act to the junta running the country. Not much was accomplished. The head of the junta refused to see her.
Nuland is an envoy in the Albright mould, like the woman she replaced, Wendy Sherman, who was Albright’s protégée.
It is said that Wendy Sherman and her infamous toughness worked wonders in gaining concessions from Iranians and North Koreans, amongst others, including her Russian interlocutors last year, on the eve of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Alas, sexism is deplorable but widespread; and it’s fair to say that an African junta are probably not the most enlightened lot. ‘Toria of the Maidan’ was probably not the best envoy to meet them.
That is, unless someone wants to start yet another proxy war.
Is it a coincidence that most of them are dual citizens?