Copenhagen: back to the future?

Abstract:
‘Diplomatic disasters don’t come much bigger than this’ was the verdict of one European-based newspaper on the outcome of Copenhagen. What had been billed as the Summit to save the planet became the Summit which just, barely, scraped a deal that many felt did not go much beyond an agreement to keep talking – a deal widely seen as being thrashed out in a single day between five major powers and then presented as a fait accompli to the rest of the world. The paradox is that it may be as good as could be reasonably hoped for – and it sets the stage for a very interesting 2010.