The Narrative Arc

Why Our Leaders Are Racing Us Toward the Cliff

A deadly game of chicken

Who will swerve first in the high-stakes game of diplomatic chicken? As markets watch nervously and citizens stand to lose everything, our leaders race toward the cliff with frightening determination. (AI-generated image).

A Familiar Place

It’s Thursday afternoon, almost 2 PM, and I’m in the Peppermint Cafe in The Hague. April sunshine warms the wooden tables through the windows, but the light is bluish because of the mint-colored facade. The similarly colored tiles of the bar haven’t changed a shade since the mid-1990s when I lived just a minute’s walk from here on Frederikstraat.

Peppermint, The Hague. (Photo taken while I started on this article).

The scent of fresh-baked apple cake mingles with coffee, creating that particular Dutch cafe perfume that feels like coming home. Outside, the terrace is half-filled — two elderly men share sections of a quality newspaper between sips of coffee. They look familiar, but I don’t know them; they blend perfectly into the atmosphere of this street on the edge of the Archipelbuurt neighborhood, an easy walk from the city center.

The barista, a woman in her fifties, has warm smiles for regular customers. Although I don’t visit this cafe often enough to be considered part of the core clientele, I’m also greeted with that warm, welcoming smile.