Radical Avenue

Scary: Saudi Arabia
Not Scary: Syria
Saudi Arabia is an extraordinarily wealthy country full of bored, well educated men. Since many Saudis attended college in the West, they know all about democratic institutions. These men must wonder why their country is still run by a monarchy. Children grow up learning to hate the United States in madrassas. Since Saudi Arabia is a totalitarian regime where women have no rights, the country runs on testosterone. Most of the 9-11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. So is Osama Bin Laden.

Syria is a poor country surrounded by enemies. Syria’s GDP is around $54 billion. Saudi Arabia’s GDP is $371 billion. When Israel bombed Syria a few weeks ago, the Syrian government not only didn’t retaliate, they didn’t even complain.

Scary: Pakistan
Not Scary: Iran
Pakistan is home to the Taliban, which is Al Qaeda’s closest ally. Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al Zawahiri, and Mullah Omar, three men bent on the destruction of America all live either in Pakistan or along its border with Afghanistan. Pakistan has an unstable government, with regular assassination attempts on its leaders. Pakistan has a nuclear bomb. A.Q. Khan, a Pakistani scientist, has sold nuclear technology to other countries.

Iran has no nuclear weapons. It is a poor Shia Persian country in a neighborhood full of wealthy Sunni Arab nations. It supported our liberation of Afghanistan from Taliban tyranny.

Scary: China
Not Scary: North Korea
China has the bomb. The socialist Chinese government also owns a boatload of American debt. Virtually everything on our store shelves is produced in China, making our safety dependent on Chinese workmanship. Even our pet food is made there. Since China sits on the UN Security Council, they have a virtual veto over many of our foreign policy initiatives. China supplied arms to our enemies during our wars with North Korea and North Viet Nam, thereby weakening the United States without getting its own hands dirty.

Millions of people have starved to death in North Korea over the past decade. The country is almost entirely dependent on China. Nuclear technology is its only bargaining chip in its dealings with the West. It sees the powerhouse economy in South Korea and is no doubt green with envy. It has much to gain from better relations with the United States.

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Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, North Korea, United States, nuclear bomb