More Signs of the Real Apocalypse

Sorry 'bout the title. I liked the cheesy juxtaposition with the previous post, and I frankly couldn't think of anything more relevant as a title.

I wanted to point out this article from the WaPo. I have been very concerned about the Israeli retaliation in Lebanon since it began. The first paragraph provides a nice compendium of terror issues throughout the Middle East and south Asia:

Two full-blown crises, in Lebanon and Iraq, are merging into a single emergency. A chain reaction could spread quickly almost anywhere between Cairo and Bombay. Turkey is talking openly of invading northern Iraq to deal with Kurdish terrorists based there. Syria could easily get pulled into the war in southern Lebanon. Egypt and Saudi Arabia are under pressure from jihadists to support Hezbollah, even though the governments in Cairo and Riyadh hate that organization. Afghanistan accuses Pakistan of giving shelter to al-Qaeda and the Taliban; there is constant fighting on both sides of that border. NATO's own war in Afghanistan is not going well. India talks of taking punitive action against Pakistan for allegedly being behind the Bombay bombings. Uzbekistan is a repressive dictatorship with a growing Islamic resistance.

The last two sentences were things I was not aware of. Of course, reading that quote within the context of the nascent "Shiite Crescent" only increases my concern.

The Bush administration has not been known for being competent in or enthusiastic for diplomacy (e.g., appointing John Bolton to the UN). It seems that a complete change of philosophy and tactics by the administration is the key to resolving this crisis. That thought provides no reassurance at all.