Syria is letting more volunteers into Iraq. It seems to me the Syrians are playing a very risky game. According to various reports, they honestly fear they might be next. If that’s true, then it’s in their interests to make the inevitable defeat of Iraq as costly as possible so as to discourage the US from trying this sort of thing again. Similarly, coming to the aid of a brother (and rival) Arab nation might buy good will and assistance from other Arab nations if the US does go after Syria. The problem is the Syrians are wrong in their analysis. The US surely does not have plans or intentions to invade or attack Syria. But the one way the US could formulate those plans is if Syria keeps playing these games.

I’ve long thought Osama Bin Laden might go down in history as the Gavrilo Princep of the 21st century. If more countries like Syria misread the situation, I fear that analogy may become even more apt.