Now here's a thing.

So the strutting peacock of world politics decides that the US does need the rest of the world, after all. The New American Century may have to wait a little longer and may well have to involve other countries as well. Only two months ago the world according to Rumsfeld was one where a triumphant US would take on all comers, with or without the coalition of the willing, it didn't matter one way or the other, the mighty US of A would do it all on their own if they had to.

Now the talk is of multi-lateralism again, from the most belligerent hawk of the lot. And what has it taken to effect this seismic change in attitude? A belated realisation, maybe, that in both Afghanistan and Iraq, peace is a damn sight harder to win than war.