http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-31052064

At least 26 people have been killed in a series of attacks by Islamist militants in the north of Egypt's Sinai peninsula.

A car bomb and mortars hit military targets in the North Sinai capital El-Arish, killing a number of soldiers.

Other attacks took place in the nearby town of Sheik Zuwayid and the town of Rafah, bordering Gaza.

Militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which pledges allegiance to Islamic State, said it carried out the attacks.

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I'm finding it difficult to fault Camerons stance.

Saudi

Really?

Aside from the fact that such a comment is impossible to verify and could therefor just as well been made up on the spot, or its importance been vastly overstated (hundreds of lives?), the argument still makes no sense.

Yes, countries have to do business with other countries, and sometimes that means doing business with bad regimes. But doing business does not mean you have to fly your flags half-pole whenever their leader dies. It does not mean sending the crown prince to the funeral. An ambassador or a phone call from the prime minister expressing condolences along with sending the minister of foreign affairs should be more than sufficient.

By acting the way the British government acted (and not just the British government, the Netherlands did not act much better) sends out a diplomatic symbol to all of the world, basically stating that to the UK, human rights and the freedom of press are all secondary issues and not important. Damn right human rights advocacy groups are criticizing Cameron.

War is not a Morality Play.

We are not at war with anything as dangerous as Nazi Germany.

It is a Fight the Existence of your people, or your culture.

So we protect our culture by ignoring completely what our culture supposedly stands for? What good is it to protect it, if its little more than nice words we all ignore whenever that suits us better.

'Uncle Joe' (Stalin) was needed by the West. Our President, and The UK PM, sat next to this Vile and Evil Human.

What makes the Saudi Family worse?

Did the US raise the flags half pole when Stalin died? Did the US president go to his funeral? Did the US president give a little speech about how valuable they thought the USSR was as an ally? Or what a great man Stalin had been in life?

Again, I get why we sometimes have to deal with regimes that we don't like. But that doesn't mean we have to act like we love them.

By acting the way the British government acted (and not just the British government, the Netherlands did not act much better) sends out a diplomatic symbol to all of the world, basically stating that to the UK, human rights and the freedom of press are all secondary issues and not important. Damn right human rights advocacy groups are criticizing Cameron.

How much stuff do you own with 'Made in China' stamped on it? What do you think of their human rights record?

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

How much stuff do you own with 'Made in China' stamped on it? What do you think of their human rights record?

Sorry, but that is of an entirely different order. I'm talking diplomacy here, not economic trade.

It's a precarious position, attacking Cameron for trying to maintain diplomatic ties with a country with a shoddy human rights record, while at the same time supporting the economy of a country with possibly an even shoddier human rights record...

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

How much stuff do you own with 'Made in China' stamped on it? What do you think of their human rights record?

Sorry, but that is of an entirely different order. I'm talking diplomacy here, not economic trade.

Defending Human rights also includes opposition to sweatshops, and as China has a record of allowing them to keep costs down so they can get more foreign currency on to their books. Then diplomacy has a place in discussions about economic trade and vice versa.

Мишель doesn't know the first thing about International diplomacy, in his world it's all black and white. I just so wish his Uni tutor could read his posts here, I really do.

Now now, let's not make this too personal.

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Life on earth is the global equivalent of not storing things in the fridge.

I S I S Very Smart. Get Jordan All Pissed Off. Their People Hugely Fractured with All Kinds of Factions.

Jordan sends in Their Military Big Time and like The Run Away Iraqis, Supply I S I S with All The Weaponry they need.

The Only Thing Jordan will be leading 'is' the supply of I S I S with Sophisticated Weaponry, and A WHOLE Bunch of 'it'.

Oooba. Smart, way Smart.

Hustin'PeacePrizin'Hussein shO 'is' A Total Fail. Diplomacy? ROTFLMAO

Yep

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May we All have a METAMORPHOSIS. REASON. GOoD JUDGEMENT and LOVE and ORDER!!!!!

... in his world it's all black and white. I just so wish his Uni tutor could read his posts here, I really do.

Quite unlikely. I could name you a few that apparently see things in black and white, and you'd agree. At times, though, we can all slip into that mode. You've been in that mode lately.

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

Middle East countries know full well what Europe thinks of chopping burglars hands off, stoning women to death, and public lashings. Diplomacy, which in their eyes means a demonstrable de facto respect for their culture makes discussions of these matters that much easier.

What about putting someone in a cage, dousing them with petrol and setting them a fire? Do you think people who do that care about diplomacy? The only other regime that did something like that was the Nazis.

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Defending Human rights also includes opposition to sweatshops, and as China has a record of allowing them to keep costs down so they can get more foreign currency on to their books. Then diplomacy has a place in discussions about economic trade and vice versa.

Trading with China does not imply automatic diplomatic or political approval of what the Chinese regime is doing. Furthermore, yes sweatshops are a horrible thing, but outrightly refusing to trade with such countries will not make those sweatshops a thing of the past.

Middle East countries know full well what Europe thinks of chopping burglars hands off, stoning women to death, and public lashings. Diplomacy, which in their eyes means a demonstrable de facto respect for their culture makes discussions of these matters that much easier.

Yeah, they know what we think of those things. But because we go out of their way to show them 'respect' to them there is no consequence for them of continuing these practices. Sure, they humor us by letting us talk about it, but they know damn well that we there will be no consequences for them if they just keep doing what they have been doing.

Besides, if you wanted to show proper 'respect' to a regime that deserves very little but who we still need for business, it would be more than enough to send like a minister of foreign affairs.

Мишель doesn't know the first thing about International diplomacy, in his world it's all black and white. I just so wish his Uni tutor could read his posts here, I really do.

If you think this is black and white then I would suggest getting your eyes tested.

[If you think this is black and white then I would suggest getting your eyes tested.

+42

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

+42

ROTHLAMO!

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+42

ROTHLAMO!

What's the H? Or was it a typo?

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Capitalize on this good fortune, one word can bring you round ... changes.

+42

ROTHLAMO!

What's the H? Or was it a typo?

typo laughing too hard.

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