“Greece has been very lax on terrorist groups, and for a long time was a jumping off point for a number of Palestinian terror attacks. Unless they're seen to be taking effective steps in response to this attack, that may raise questions about plans to hold the Olympics there.”
“The fact that they focused on a British official may be a sign that U.S. personnel are now taking a lot more precautions, while Saunders may have been an easier hit. But it also suggests that if they can't hit at senior personnel, this group is prepared to hit at people further down the chain -- and that could be major cause for concern at the Olympics.”
“Given the history of Pakistan's nuclear program, these figures will certainly raise a few eyebrows. Pakistan struggled unsuccessfully for decades to develop nuclear weapons, and half of their devices failed to go off in their 1998 tests, which created the impression they were still battling to perfect the technology. Pakistan's nuclear program is generally assumed to be heavily dependent on Chinese assistance, and it sounds a little far-fetched that Beijing would allow them to develop a nuclear program on that scale.”
“Realistically, though, everybody knows that the embargo won't end the fighting now because both sides have stockpiled enough weapons to wage war for the next two years. But cutting off the supply will impair their ability to fight on in the long term, and help force them eventually to come to a peace agreement.”
“The conservatives still claim to rule in the name of the majority of Iranians, and they're feeling pressure from the rising public reaction against their policies.”
“The British may be reluctant to storm the plane with so many women and children on board. They're more likely to simply use boredom as a weapon, waiting out the crisis and letting the hijackers tire and then later offering them a way out.”
