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Paul Gigot: Let's go with this--move to Bernard Lewis' comments about Aug. 22. Bernard Lewis--a tremendous Middle East scholar, a rational man, a careful man--he wrote a piece for us in the Journal saying that Aug. 22 may be a day to pay attention to, because it has some meaning on the Islamic calendar. It's the anniversary of one of Muhammad's trips memorialized in Islamic memory, and that the Iranians have this kind of apocalyptic vision, that they might react to a date like that.
(See below)
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AT WAR
August 22
Does Iran have something in store?
BY BERNARD LEWIS
Tuesday, August 8, 2006 4:30 p.m. EDT
During the Cold War, both sides possessed weapons of mass destruction, but neither side used them, deterred by what was known as MAD, mutual assured destruction. Similar constraints have no doubt prevented their use in the confrontation between India and Pakistan. In our own day a new such confrontation seems to be looming between a nuclear-armed Iran and its favorite enemies, named by the late Ayatollah Khomeini as the Great Satan and the Little Satan, i.e., the United States and Israel. Against the U.S. the bombs might be delivered by terrorists, a method having the advantage of bearing no return address. Against Israel, the target is small enough to attempt obliteration by direct bombardment.
For the complete article, please click here: http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008768 (Be patient as it may take a moment to bring with the WSJ website.)
Note: This matter was discussed at the 17 Aug. meeting of the Current Events Club.
