Though a shameless pun, today’s title is indicative of a plethora of mischief beginning yesterday with the mailing of a secret letter to the Kremlin: the kind of stunt reserved solely for James Bond movies in the past.

The response from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, sent today, clearly states that the Russians want no part in “haggling” with the US to halt Iran’s nuclear program. Six major UN powers have taken a different approach, however, and chosen to adopt “direct diplomacy” in addressing the situation: the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Though Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton remains incredibly skeptical of the success this method will bring, the International Committee of the Red Cross are never ones to shy away from non-military, peaceful solutions. Their latest request for humanitarian aid concerns Sri Lanka, where up to 150,000 civilians are trapped by the ongoing governmental war with the Tamil Tigers.

Far be it for me to cast doubt on policy, but one would hope the issues that are currently demanding attention (Sri Lanka) would take priority over “potential threats” and secret letters in the wake of this dire humanitarian crisis.

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