Insight

David Ignatius has the most informative column I've read anywhere in quite a while, writing a piece sufficiently researched to be credible, but insufficiently sourced to be a news article. The result is an optimistic and very interesting discussion of the mysterious Syria-Israel talks that have been going on in Turkey. Ignatius' piece is worth a read, but here's his last, best point:

(5) What about Syria's secret nuclear reactor, which was destroyed by the Israelis on Sept. 6, 2007?

Oddly enough, that attack on what CIA analysts called the "Enigma Building" may have helped the peace talks. The Israelis felt that their decisive action helped restore the credibility of their deterrence policy. The Syrians appreciated that Israeli and American silence allowed them time to cover their tracks. Finally, the fact that Assad kept the nuclear effort a secret, and that he managed the post-attack pressures, showed Israelis that he was truly master of his own house, and thus a plausible negotiating partner.