From the state department in Washington DC, the world is on fire - though, oddly, record heatwaves aren't to blame. The unresolved Iran war has left Donald Trump with some nasty burns, his military campaign having conclusively failed while energy and food prices keep climbing and a Republican rout in November's midterms looms. In a particularly humiliating twist, Israel flatly rejected his latest Gaza peace proposals this week, just days after Trump patted himself on the back for a 'historic breakthrough.' Meanwhile, Russia's attacks on Nato allies grow ever bolder, threatening full-blown escalation, and the Ukraine war - which Trump swore he'd end - is now grinding into its fifth year with civilians on both sides stuck in the killing fields. And that's just the headline firestorms; there are plenty more blazes smoldering.

You'd think this would be the moment for top-notch, professional diplomacy. Enter Marco Rubio, US secretary of state and the nation's top diplomat. If he could actually pull off a win here, the 55-year-old son of Cuban immigrants and former Florida senator might just vault into pole position for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination. This is his shot to silence the critics who dismiss him as a lickspittle and Trump's errand boy, and to reinvent himself as a respected global statesman. Remember, Trump used to mock him as 'little Marco' and a 'loser' back in the 2016 primaries (Rubio returned the favor by calling Trump a conman). So now's the time for Rubio to go big, be brave, and prove he's got what it takes. Or, you know, he could keep doing whatever it is he's doing, which so far appears to be precious little.