On silver linings

There's no doubt about the need for some serious investigation into the security plan for the G8 and C20 summits, with Matt Gurney making a particularly important point as to the apparent goal:

Major Western cities, during international conferences, are probably the most secure places in the world, but — paradoxically — they achieve this security by becoming strangely lawless. It’s as if the police have reached an unspoken agreement with the most violent fringe of the mobs: Riot all you want, smash windows, hurl rocks, engage in any number of behaviours that would normally get you arrested and locked away. We’re fine with that. Just don’t get near the President.

But what about the outcome of the leaders' summits themselves?

While there's plenty worth criticizing about the subjects that were left off the agenda or paid lip service at best, it's worth wondering whether the Cons' push against meaningful agreement may prove to have been a blessing in disguise. After all, with the summits largely focused on policies ranging from the pointless to the disastrous, it may be that the best we can say is that at least the countries involved don't have any obligation to do much of anything in response to the leaders' mealy-mouthed statements.