Operation: Saxon Needles; Month 2, Week 4, Day 4.

Today (30/11/23) sees the start of the 28th Conference Of Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Needless to say, I'm on a bit of a pivot. A pivot not entirely unrelated to the pivot I found myself on during COP27. The security situation in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in the wake of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War.

I do though have a quick moment to contemplate the difference between diplomacy and war.

COP20 took place in Lima, Peru back in 2014. Its closure was seriously delayed by the behaviour of the Ugandan delegation during the closing session of the Durban Platform. In a row over financing the Ugandan delegation essentially filibustered the closing vote, dealing with procedural matters relating to the next meeting. For the best part of eight hours.

Needless to say this was rather annoying. However as it was a diplomatic event everyone had to remain patient and polite. Any criticism had to be extremely subtle and in Latin.

This was in complete contrast to an incident I remember from the 2016/17 Battle of Mosul. An incident the US alluded to in the October 1st 2017 (1/10/17) Las Vegas Strip/Mandalay Bay Shooting.

Although I can't remember the exact address an Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fireteam was holed up in a multistory apartment building in the east of the city. I think it might actually have been a single ISIL fighter equipped with a medium machine gun.

They too were being extremely annoying.

So we just dropped a big bomb on their heads. They were a lot less annoying after that.

And yes. We did destroy the entire apartment building in the process.

Then there was the March 17th 2017 (17/3/17) US airstrikes on the western al-Aghwat al-Jadidah of Mosul. 

There ISIL were making extensive use of Suicide-Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devices (S-VBIEDS). Essentially truck bombs of the size of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing or the Provisional Irish Republic Army (PIRA) bombing of London's Docklands in 1996. ISIL would drive these bombs at Iraq forces in an attempt to kill them.

On March 17th the US conducted an airstrike against one of these S-VBIED's to stop it reaching its target. The airstrike detonated the truck bomb. Destroying the entire city block of al-Aghwat al-Jadidah and killing the 278+ civilians who were in that city block at the time.

So given the mess the US made of not only the Battle of Mosul but also of Mosul itself. You'd think they'd be quietly grateful of the opportunity for the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to show them how to do it properly in Gaza. 

17:00 on 30/11/23 (UK date).