Are we backing the wrong side?

Coincidentally these are countries in which UK forces are engaged in active service - the SAS and the Royal Navy in and off Somalia; the SAS and other special units in Pakistan; and substantial numbers of land forces in Afghanistan. Drifting into Rome from the airport, the tree-lined boulevards are untouched; the white cabs glisten; the tourists throng; the tea stalls buzz; and café life abounds. How do you indulge a crash course in quantum physics, conquer even the concept of a boson, and book an air ticket inside a week?