Turns for the Worse
Go away for a week and the world seems to change in your absence. No exception this time, as all-out war looms in the Levant and terrorists strike again, this time in Bombay.
Both incidents are symptoms of intractable conflicts over Israel and Kashmir. Fortunately, while Israel has let loose - one suspects that the capture of two soldiers was the excuse is was looking for to strike against Hezbollah - India's reaction has been restrained, despite the clear indications that the bombers hailed from Pakistan.
In both cases, the actions serve only to provoke retaliation. But Israel can't help itself, while India clearly can. If only the former could learn from the latter, the terrorists would soon be out of business. Instead, another generation is being created.
Whether there will be a repeat of 1978 and 1982 remains to be seen, but all efforts must now be made to stop Syria getting sucked into the conflict. Prospects for the region as a whole don't look good.
