Sir, – Lara Marlowe reports that French president Emmanuel Macron says he believes in the "strategy of audacity, of taking risks" and that France can punch above its weight ("Diplomatic triumph for Macron at G7", World News, August 28th).
Any boxer could tell the insufferably cocky Mr Macron that punching above your weight is a recipe for defeat and, possibly, neurological damage. The UK is another middleweight power with similar delusions of being able to perform like a heavyweight.
In 2011, both France and the UK, in cahoots with the Gulf Arab states, decided to topple the Libyan dictator Muammar Gadafy without planning for the aftermath. As a result, Gadafy’s fall merely paved the way for chaos and further instability in the region. – Yours, etc,
KARL MARTIN,
Bayside,
Dublin 13.