I wasn't sure whether this should go under Middle East, but considering it's about Syria, I thought it more appropriate here.
| I should probably put in a new section — maybe call it Axis of Nasty or something. Or just a separate heading for Syria, since it's going to be in the news more in the coming months. |
"Now that Saddam Hussein's regime has collapsed, it's time for a change in Syria, too," said IDF Gen. Amos Gilad today. He's not alone. The U.S. warned Syria, Iran and North Korea last night that "they had better come to the right conclusions from [what happened in] Iraq."
| I notice Syria's taken Iraq's place on the Axis of Evil list — I wonder if that's official, or if it's fire for effect? |
John R. Boloton, Undersecretary of State for Weapons Supervision and National Security, told reporters in Rome that he hopes that these countries will realize that their attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction "will not further their national interests." He was asked about polls showing that 50% of Americans support an American action against Iran if it continues to develop nuclear weapons, and 42% support a similar action against Syria if it supports Iran.
| Syria's the more likely recipient of the attention. Iran appears to be edging away, however reluctantly, from its more belligerent positions. That could turn around, as Khamenei and Rafsanjani and their supporters regain their nerve — mermories aren't long. |
Speaking at an Israeli Management Center forum in Tel Aviv, Gen. Gilad said that all the important international terror organizations in the world have command centers in Damascus. "The collapse of the Iraqi regime removes Syria's strategic base, and causes Syria to be isolated — especially with the U.S. discovering, to its astonishment, the tight cooperation between Saddam Hussein and [Syrian dictator] Bashar Assad," according to Ittim News Agency's summation of Gilad's words.
| It did come as a surprise. I never realized they were lovers... |
He's making a list, checking it twice, dah dah dah da da dum de dumm dummm |