THE SPECTER OF ACCIDENTAL WARS. To briefly address Robert's reply to the item I posted this morning -- he thinks he's disagreeing with me, but I actually agree with every point he made. Look: It's news that the Israeli Prime Minister felt sufficiently worried about Syrian defensive anxieties that he sent a message via our own Nancy Pelosi to reduce tensions. Of course everyone is always preparing for war with everyone, and of course the Russian reports are most likely ludicrously inaccurate, but that's not the point. The point is that they are circulating in the Middle East, and that this increases the feeling of tension in the region, and the fear of the United States. Many observers believe that Iranian quest for nuclear capabilities is a defensive move spurred on by fear of the United States. Stories like these only increase those fears, and American readers ought to know what people are saying overseas when it's relevant to the overall climate of anxiety and fear in which both Iran and America are operating.
--Garance Franke-Ruta
