Once more into the brooch, dear friends

This sounds like something made-up: Madeleine Albright had a collection of crazy pins that she would wear in accordance with different diplomatic occasions. Bees, lions, daggers and flags.

Obviously, reality does not—cannot—carry this far enough. What you really want is a world where all diplomacy is conducted via pin, brooch, badge and pocket-square. All words are mutually understood to be superfluous; just pleasant theater. The real business is encoded in the placement of pins, and their migration over days of diplomacy. “Did you see? This morning—she’s wearing the bee on the left! We are ruined! RUINED!”