A very sad state of affairs in Myanmar. Hope and help seem very far away. The recent visit of Pope Francis to Iraq is a reminder of how much minority groups suffer around our world. American interventionism in Iraq has cost a lot of lives on many sides, something the arrogant ideologues were incapable of anticipating when they sought to impose their version of the world on Iraq. Sadly, too much of the media and political establishment are concerned with entertaining ephemera while the suffering persists. Multilateralism must have a place in this world if we are to turn back the tide of authoritarianism that denies the basic freedoms of all the people.