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Original article first published in Washington Post, March 5, 2014. By Henry A. Kissinger, US secretary of state 1973 - 1977. To settle the Ukraine crisis, start at the end [Current] public discussion on Ukraine is all about confrontation. But do we know where we are going? In my life, I have seen four wars begun with great enthusiasm and public support, all of which we did not know how to end and from three of which we withdrew unilaterally. The test of policy is how it ends, not how it begins. Far too often, the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West. But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side’s outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them. Russia must accept that to try to force Ukraine into a satellite status and thereby move Russia’s borders again would doom Moscow to repeat its history of self-fulfilling cycles of reciprocal pressures with Europe and the United States. The West must understand that, to Russia, Ukraine can never be just a foreign country. Russian history began in what was called Kievan-Rus. The Russian religion spread from there. Ukraine has been part of Russia for centuries, and their histories were intertwined before then. Some of the most important battles for Russian freedom, starting with the Battle of Poltava in 1709 , were fought on Ukrainian soil. The Black Sea Fleet — Russia’s means of projecting power in the Mediterranean — is based by long-term lease in Sevastopol, in Crimea. Even such famed dissidents as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Joseph Brodsky insisted that Ukraine was an integral part of Russian history and, indeed, of Russia. The European Union must recognize that its bureaucratic dilatoriness and subordination of the strategic element to domestic politics in negotiating Ukraine’s relationship to Europe contributed to turning a negotiation into a crisis. Foreign policy is the art of establishing priorities. The Ukrainians are the decisive element. They live in a country with a complex history and a polyglot composition. The Western part was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1939 , when Stalin and Hitler divided up the spoils. Crimea, 60 percent of whose population is Russian , became part of Ukraine only in 1954 , when Nikita Khrushchev, a Ukrainian by birth, awarded it as part of the 300th-year celebration of a Russian agreement with the Cossacks. The west is largely Catholic; the east largely Russian Orthodox. The west speaks Ukrainian; the east speaks mostly Russian. Any attempt by one wing of Ukraine to dominate the other — as has been the pattern — would lead eventually to civil war or break up. To treat Ukraine as part of an East-West confrontation would scuttle for decades any prospect to bring Russia and the West — especially Russia and Europe — into a cooperative international system. Ukraine has been independent for only 23 years; it had previously been under some kind of foreign rule since the 14th century. Not surprisingly, its leaders have not learned the art of compromise, even less of historical perspective. The politics of post-independence Ukraine clearly demonstrates that the root of the problem lies in efforts by Ukrainian politicians to impose their will on recalcitrant parts of the country, first by one faction, then by the other. That is the essence of the conflict between Viktor Yanukovych and his principal political rival, Yulia Tymoshenko. They represent the two wings of Ukraine and have not been willing to share power. A wise U.S. policy toward Ukraine would seek a way for the two parts of the country to cooperate with each other. We should seek reconciliation, not the domination of a faction. Russia and the West, and least of all the various factions in Ukraine, have not acted on this principle. Each has made the situation worse. Russia would not be able to impose a military solution without isolating itself at a time when many of its borders are already precarious. For the West, the demonization of Vladimir Putin is not a policy; it is an alibi for the absence of one. Putin should come to realize that, whatever his grievances, a policy of military impositions would produce another Cold War. For its part, the United States needs to avoid treating Russia as an aberrant to be patiently taught rules of conduct established by Washington. Putin is a serious strategist — on the premises of Russian history. Understanding U.S. values and psychology are not his strong suits. Nor has understanding Russian history and psychology been a strong point of U.S. policymakers. Here is my notion of an outcome compatible with the values and security interests of all sides: Ukraine should have the right to choose freely its economic and political associations, including with Europe. Ukraine should not join NATO, a position I took seven years ago, when it last came up. Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country. Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia. It is incompatible with the rules of the existing world order for Russia to annex Crimea. But it should be possible to put Crimea’s relationship to Ukraine on a less fraught basis. To that end, Russia would recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea. Ukraine should reinforce Crimea’s autonomy in elections held in the presence of international observers. The process would include removing any ambiguities about the status of the Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol. These are principles, not prescriptions. People familiar with the region will know that not all of them will be palatable to all parties. The test is not absolute satisfaction but balanced dissatisfaction. If some solution based on these or comparable elements is not achieved, the drift toward confrontation will accelerate. The time for that will come soon enough. •• EIDEARD BLOG commentary: Of course, Kissinger may as well be describing Congress under the misleadership of what passes for a Republican Party today. He speaks from memories of days when Republicans and Democrats had principled, educated, knowledgeable leaders. Days long gone. Kissinger is not a diplomat I have a whole boatload of respect for. He rarely challenged the Cold War status quo in his years of service. What positive results attended his efforts resulted from a simple understanding that politics should trump war, trade brings more long-lasting change than imperial bullying. Frankly, I doubt if anyone in the Confederate Club in Congress will even read his suggested principles. However, they are worth reading at least as a base for your understanding.

Elliott Hey is a prominent UK-based UX expert who has previously worked as a Senior User Experience Consultant at IBM Business Consulting Services. Over the years, Elliot has worked on many high-end UX and UI design projects for military and office applications, websites, PDAs and mobile phones for clients in Banking, Insurance, Retail, and the Public Sector. Solihull, 29 January 2017 ZT. Thank you Elliot for giving up your valuable time to meet me. As part of my MA research into myriad aspects of UX, I was hoping you'd be willing to share some of your vast UX experience: My first question to you: what does your average UX brief look like? EH. I am seldom given specific briefs. I rarely see a paragraph or a page spelling out in detail what my input should be. Who decides what I need to do? It usually comes from the CEO and his team, a product owner, or such. ZT. So, in a nutshell, you are hired to think up UX strategies and present proposals for your clients. EH. Yes, in a nutshell. First, I provide my clients with questions pertinent to the project, and they provide me with the necessary material. They'll dig out the packs containing the information I need, such as: Who is the target audience? What are the business goals? What are the success criteria? APIs? (Application Programming Interface) This is the kind of information I need to extract as I plough through reams of documentation. ZT. So what you're saying is you never get a detailed, clearly spelt-out brief? EH. Not in the traditional sense of a creative brief. For my UX work for Nationwide, for example, the brief I was given was something like, we want an app with features such as helping people move house. At this stage, we're not bothered to sell through the App. We just want to increase brand awareness of Nationwide and to reflect Nationwide through the app's ease of use and the positive customer experience. So just as I said, I don't see it written down, so long as I am told the broad goals of the ongoing UX campaign. ZT. Could you give us a specific example of your UX strategy at Nationwide? EH. My involvement with the Nationwide app development was through IBM. It involved not just design but also the building of complex content architecture, infrastructure, security, etc, all neatly built into the app. Consequently, all these threads can seamlessly connect to the app in a way that feels good to the user. Part of my work would be, for example, setting up a series of questions for customers to consider, such as: Are you moving/ buying/ selling house? Are you in England, Wales, or Scotland (because rules differ)? So yeah, answer a few questions, hit enter, and then the app gives the user clear guides to buying, selling, costs, built-in calculators, stamp duty charges, booking removals, address change, accounts, etc. It offers all sorts of tools, widgets, and checks. ZT. What are the usual questions that a UXer needs to consider when starting a new UX project, let's say, for illustration purposes, a local 'Rapid Local News' App? EH. Make sure to cover the background first. Why would you want to work on such a project? Is this an opportunity to explore the local news area of the market? Do existing news apps cover local news? If so, who are your competitors? What do they do well? What is it that they don't do well? Draw up a rationale for what inspired this idea. Understand who the target audience is. Is it a niche market / what is your marketplace? What are you aiming for / what is the goal? Are you looking to keep up with the competition or beat it? CPIs (Critical Success Indicators) KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) How can you measure whether you have succeeded or not? ZT. How about this idea for an App project: "Beat the SUN" (news App) EH. You would need to provide the following: The analysis of the target audience / the demographics / the reading age associated with the target audience, etc. Is there an expectation of in-depth editorial analysis, Or would the emphasis be on sensationalist crime stories/ celebrity/ sports stars gossip columns/ astrology/ gallery of titillating pictures? Or would it be some shade of grey in between? ZT. In my experience as a designer, most of my clients were fairly specific about what they wanted. For my MA assignment, I would like to put together a design brief that doesn't state the requirements in minute detail yet still conveys a clear vision of intent. EH. I agree. This shouldn't take more than half a page. I mean, you can put in it as much detail as you want, but what we're saying here is that you need to check the bounds. Ask yourself if the brief is to identify the niche market that isn't covered. That would be your research piece. However, if the company has already covered this kind of research, it would be in the brief. The brief will show if: they've done their research they've decided they want an app they want to beat the competition, and it is for specific users. And a method by which they will measure success. So, at this stage, it is not about design. It's just giving you, the UXer, the framework. ZT. If a client came to you asking you to develop a local news app, say specifically the West Midlands News app, would you laugh it off as a non-starter? EH. No. Assuming that your target audience has a reading age of, let's say, someone like 70 years old, such as your average Tabloid reader, you'd still need to frame it as you discuss criteria with the client: Will your app offer better content? Editorial? Or will its USP be better designed/ more user-friendly? Sections may cover niche areas such as, let's say: Local crime Name-and-shame Local schools OFSTED reports Facts of the week Live roadworks updates Stats affecting the local population Readers' participation in content creation/ reader comments Photo gallery. It could be more dynamic, as-it-happens-type live local news rather than regurgitating general stuff that other news providers will likely offer. It could, for example, offer customised geo-position local news, such as a live/real-time stream of a police helicopter suspect chase. Readers would have a platform allowing them to contribute with comments/ images as events occur in real time. Let users generate the content! This would make them feel involved in their local community as participants instead of passive news consumers. This, in turn, has the potential to significantly boost the app's appeal, leading to user base growth and so on. All this information would go towards framing the app's goals before any meaningful design work can take place. ••

The Western lifestyle has long adopted the all-out chase of material wealth as the only quantifiable way to personal happiness and fulfilment. The relentless advertising that swamps our daily lives unashamedly infers that 'Greed is good' and that only the 'weirdos' would suggest otherwise. In the seminal 1987 movie "Wall Street", the greed that Gordon Gekko evangelised with great conviction permeates more than ever the many aspects of society, from individual behaviour to systemic structures leading people to prioritise self-interest as the only natural formula to personal success. But advertisers have our best interests at heart, right? Would they ever use manipulative advertising practices at consumers' expense? Would they consider using human greed, one of the worst evolutionary flaws of Homo Sapiens, as an integral part of their advertising strategies? The answer to all those questions is a resounding yes. By leveraging human desires for wealth, success, or material possessions, the advertisers aim to construct and establish a permanent sense of 'want–need' in their target audiences. Here are some of their strategies: CREATING DESIRE Advertisements frequently showcase luxurious lifestyles or desirable products, triggering a sense of longing or envy in viewers. They depict scenarios where owning a particular product is associated with status, success, or personal fulfilment. This appeals to people's aspirations for a better life, feeding a deep desire for the advertised product. LIMITED-TIME OFFERS AND EXCLUSIVITY Companies often create a sense of scarcity or exclusivity by promoting limited-time offers or special editions. By implying that certain products are rare or only available for a limited period, they tap into consumers' fear of missing out (FOMO), such as hurry-everything-must-go or Black Friday seasons. Such marketing tactics play on the greed instinct by intensifying the longing for an item that appears exclusive or elusive. Limited-time offers and promotions exploit the human greed instinct by creating a sense of urgency and scarcity. Advertisers may emphasise that the opportunity to obtain the product or take advantage of a special offer is fleeting. By capitalising on the fear of scarcity, advertisers intensify the desire for the product and create a sense of urgency, prompting immediate action to fulfil the perceived need. DISCOUNTS AND PROMOTIONS Advertising agencies utilise sales promotions, discounts, or "buy one, get one free" offers to amplify the lure of acquiring more for less. It appeals to people's ingrained desire to maximise their gains while minimising their expenses, thus exploiting the greed instinct to drive purchase decisions. Discounts and promotions play a significant role in exploiting the greed instinct. Advertisers often offer discounts or bundle deals that give consumers the illusion of getting more value for their money. By framing these offers as limited-time opportunities or as "exclusive deals available only to a select few", the ads fuel the desire to acquire the product at a discounted price. This taps into the human instinct to maximise gains and minimise expenses, compelling consumers to make impulsive purchasing decisions. ASPIRATIONAL MESSAGING By presenting an idealised version of life or portraying individuals who have achieved extraordinary success, advertisements create a sense of aspiration and desire. Such ads often suggest that by purchasing a particular product or service, consumers can elevate their social status, experience luxury, or attain success that would have been impossible without the advertised product. ENDORSEMENT Advertisers strategically choose endorsers and influencers who embody an aspirational lifestyle and are admired by the target audience by associating their products with these seductive figures. They partner with social media influencers, who have a significant following and influence in a particular niche, to promote their products or services. These influencers create sponsored content, such as posts, videos, or reviews, endorsing the brand and its products to their fans. TARGETED ADVERTISING In today's technologically advanced era, personalised targeting enhances considerably the effectiveness of these tactics. Advertisers employ sophisticated data analysis to identify consumers' preferences, desires, and demographics. By leveraging this information, they can craft tailored advertisements that appeal to individuals' greed instincts. This hyper-targeting ensures that the ads resonate deeply with viewers, increasing the likelihood of influencing their purchase decisions. Modern advertising leverages advanced targeting techniques, allowing advertisers to tailor their messages to specific individuals or demographics. They use personal data and consumer insights to identify desires and preferences, creating highly customised and targeted advertisements that tap directly into individuals' specific greed instincts. SOCIAL COMPARISON AND THE SENSE OF ENVY Advertisers also commonly use social comparison in their strategies. By showcasing individuals who possess the desired qualities or possessions that the audience wants, advertisers cultivate a sense of envy or longing. This encourages viewers to associate the advertised product or service with their desired social status or personal success. Ads often create an implicit message that by acquiring the product, individuals can join an elite group or attain a higher social standing, appealing directly to the greedy desire for elevated status or exclusivity. SEDUCTIVE STORIES Advertisements construct a story around their products, showcasing how owning them can transform an individual's life for the better. This narrative typically involves a protagonist who overcomes challenges, achieves great success, or gains admiring attention—all thanks to the advertised product. By presenting this narrative, advertisers tap into viewers' aspirations and foster a desire to replicate the depicted achievements in their own lives. Advertisers tap into the greed instinct by suggesting that owning the advertised product will bring individuals closer to the glamorous and coveted lifestyles they desire. Advertisements routinely use persuasive messages that emphasise the benefits and advantages of the product, promising: Enhanced social status, Financial gain, or Personal fulfilment. By appealing to individuals' desire for more wealth, improved status, or increased success, these messages exploit the greed instinct and create a perceived need or desire that can drive consumer behaviour. EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION AND THE IMPACT OF FAKE HAPPINESS While exploiting the greed instinct can generate sales and profits for companies, it is essential to recognise that these tactics are bound to have a negative impact. They can create an environment where consumers value materialism and excessive consumption above all else, imposing heavy financial pressure on consumers. Moreover, by promoting values centred around possessions and superficial desires, advertising agencies may inadvertently contribute to societal issues such as inequality and the overconsumption of resources. The pervasive nature of advertising that exploits the greed instinct can perpetuate a consumer culture that prioritises material wealth and acquisition over more profound, more meaningful aspects of human life. The constant bombardment of advertisements that appeal to greed can create a cycle of never-ending desires. As individuals succumb to the allure of acquiring more and better possessions, their pursuit of fulfilment through consumption becomes insatiable. This can lead to a perpetual cycle where individuals constantly strive for more, never satisfied with what they have. The negative consequences of exploiting the greed instinct in advertising extend beyond society's well-being. Focusing on relentless consumerism at the expense of all other considerations can erode social cohesion and neglect deeper personal needs. When companies prioritise profit maximisation over environmental sustainability, workers' rights, or social justice, it perpetuates systemic greed that exacerbates environmental degradation and societal inequalities, which, let's be frank, if unchallenged, can only lead to the erosion of the very fabric of civilised life. SO, WHAT DO WE DO? It is essential to approach advertising and consumerism critically, questioning the underlying motivations and values embedded in marketing messages. Recognising the exploitation of the greed instinct in advertising opens discussions about the need for ethical and responsible marketing practices. Advertisers, of course, have a responsibility to their shareholders. But should they ignore their social responsibility? Shouldn't they seek ways to play a pivotal role in shifting the narrative and fostering a more balanced and sustainable approach to consumption? Advertisers should encourage consumers to make informed decisions based on genuine needs rather than enticing them with false promises or exaggerated claims. There is a slow but growing number of companies who are shifting their advertising strategies to focus on promoting values such as social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and community well-being. They seek to appeal to consumers' desire for a meaningful connection with their purchases rather than solely capitalising on their greed instincts. By aligning their brands with causes that resonate with their target audience, they can tap into the growing demand for conscious consumerism. Ethical marketing practices involve being transparent and truthful in advertising messages. Building trust with consumers by providing accurate information about products and their benefits fosters a healthier relationship between brands and their audiences. HOW CAN WE RESIST THE LURE OF EXCESSIVE CONSUMPTION? As consumers, we can play a vital role in challenging the toxic aspects of advertising. By being mindful and critical of the messages presented to us, we can actively resist the lure of excessive consumerism. This involves being conscious of our own desires and questioning whether a particular product or purchase truly aligns with our values and needs. Developing a sense of self-awareness and reflecting on what truly brings us happiness and fulfilment can help counteract the influence of exploitative advertising. Educating ourselves about the tactics used in advertising can empower us to make more informed choices. By understanding the psychological techniques employed to exploit our desire for more, we can better recognise when we are being manipulated and make conscious decisions that align with our values. Supporting brands prioritising sustainable and ethical practices can also contribute to a shift in the advertising landscape. By consciously selecting products and services from companies that demonstrate a commitment to social and environmental responsibility, we can send a message to the advertising industry that responsible marketing is not only desired but expected. • • •

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN September 29, 2021 By Michael Tabb, Jeffery DelViscio, Andrea Gawrylewski Deep learning, neural networks, imitation games—what does any of this have to do with teaching computers to “learn”? Machine learning is the process by which computer programs grow from experience. This isn’t science fiction, where robots advance until they take over the world. When we talk about machine learning, we’re mostly referring to extremely clever algorithms. In 1950 mathematician Alan Turing argued that it’s a waste of time to ask whether machines can think. Instead, he proposed a game: a player has two written conversations, one with another human and one with a machine. Based on the exchanges, the human has to decide which is which. This “imitation game” would serve as a test for artificial intelligence. But how would we program machines to play it? Turing suggested that we teach them, just like children. We could instruct them to follow a series of rules, while enabling them to make minor tweaks based on experience. For computers, the learning process just looks a little different. First, we need to feed them lots of data: anything from pictures of everyday objects to details of banking transactions. Then we have to tell the computers what to do with all that information. Programmers do this by writing lists of step-by-step instructions, or algorithms. Those algorithms help computers identify patterns in vast troves of data. Based on the patterns they find, computers develop a kind of “model” of how that system works. For instance, some programmers are using machine learning to develop medical software. First, they might feed a program hundreds of MRI scans that have already been categorized. Then, they’ll have the computer build a model to categorize MRIs it hasn’t seen before. In that way, that medical software could spot problems in patient scans or flag certain records for review. Complex models like this often require many hidden computational steps. For structure, programmers organize all the processing decisions into layers. That’s where “deep learning” comes from. These layers mimic the structure of the human brain, where neurons fire signals to other neurons. That’s why we also call them “neural networks.” Neural networks are the foundation for services we use every day, like digital voice assistants and online translation tools. Over time, neural networks improve in their ability to listen and respond to the information we give them, which makes those services more and more accurate. Machine learning isn’t just something locked up in an academic lab though. Lots of machine learning algorithms are open-source and widely available. And they’re already being used for many things that influence our lives, in large and small ways. People have used these open-source tools to do everything from train their pets to create experimental art to monitor wildfires. They’ve also done some morally questionable things, like create deep fakes—videos manipulated with deep learning. And because the data algorithms that machines use are written by fallible human beings, they can contain biases. Algorithms can carry the biases of their makers into their models, exacerbating problems like racism and sexism. But there is no stopping this technology. And people are finding more and more complicated applications for it—some of which will automate things we are accustomed to doing for ourselves--like using neural networks to help run power driverless cars. Some of these applications will require sophisticated algorithmic tools, given the complexity of the task. And while that may be down the road, the systems still have a lot of learning to do. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN September 29, 2021 By Michael Tabb, Jeffery DelViscio, Andrea Gawrylewski