About Syria....

Juan Cole's post today starts with this:

Ambrose Bierce is said to be the author of the saying “War is God’s way of teaching Americans geography.” Despite the vigorous national debate about intervening in Syria, there is some reason to think that most Americans could not find it on a map. Here are some key points about Syria that this blog has been trying to underline.

I recommend this post if you are not well acquainted with the actual country of Syria.  I certainly learned a lot--about its size, for one thing, and its cultural makeup to name just two items.  My thanks to Juan Cole for his contribution to our knowledge.  Cole's post has two helpful maps:  Syria in relation to all the other Mediterranean and Mideastern countries and Syria's Balkanization.