Borderline personality disorder, or, a problem with borders

In affairs between nations, as between people, it’s the looniest partner who has the winning edge. You never know what he’ll do next. Throw a tantrum about the way the eggs are cooked, or invade. Have a three day sulk because you smiled at the plumber, or drop nerve gas on you. Punch you, or activate his Nuclear Launch Codes.

So you’re careful. You try not to provoke him. You stop smiling at plumbers, or in fact anyone. You don’t send planes. You develop an obsession with eggs. What if letting Ukraine join the EU should happen to break one? Eggs, famously, can’t be unscrambled. Do you want to go down in history as the one who broke this relationship, who started World War III? You tell the doctor you hit your face on a cupboard. A no-fly zone? You’d be asking for it.

You watch his hand hovering over the little red button…

Because the guy who knows no boundaries calls the shots.

Photo by Hasan Almasi on Unsplash

F.L.Rose is the author of two recently published books, The Point of Us and Pandora’s Jar. Find out more at www.fallaciousrose.com.