by Cheryl Rofer
Just wondering… Today’s New York Times reveals that the US military has had orders since 2004 that allow it to attack al-Qaeda bases in several countries. Syria is mentioned as one, the most recent raid into its territory being an example, but not the only time such a thing has been done. I’m just wondering if there was any connection with the Israeli raid on the alleged Syrian reactor at al-Kibar in September 2007. Al-Qaeda’s attempt at getting its very own nuclear complex? (I still have my doubts that it was really a reactor.) Certainly the silence from Syria over Israel's raid becomes less surprising when that Times article tells us that there have been several raids into Syrian territory about which the Syrians also said nothing.
Russia update. Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev have now had a telephone conversation, and Medvedev seems friendlier, which tends to support my earlier hypothesis that Medvedev’s threat to place missiles in Kaliningrad was largely bluster for the homefolks and, maybe, to get a bit of attention from the new president-elect.