Stardate 20020924.1740

(On Screen): Daniel Wiener sends this pointer to an article by Mohammed Al-Jassem, the editor in chief of the Arabic version of Newsweek. What he says is that the Arabs are living a delusion, fed by governments who need the illusion of external opposition to explain internal failure. He argues that only a massive defeat can shatter the delusion, and that if we attack and conquer Iraq it will force the Arabs to look inward and begin the process of reform.

And he argues that nothing less will do, because no diplomatic action or propaganda can destroy that delusion. Only a massive defeat, that cannot be ignored or hidden, will be enough.

Sounds familiar. But he raises a hopeful point: we may not actually have to conquer Syria, because the political fallout from such an Arab catastrophe (as they will view it) may be enough to cause the same kind of internal reform to begin there. If he's right, then it means that the only place after Iraq where major military operations might be needed would be Somalia, and I'm not sure that actually would be required either.