I wouldn't worry about it too much Johnathan. By the time the Olympics take place, I expect the Coalition of the Willing is going to consist solely of the sub-human American Jewish Pig Monkey Dogs, and Tony Blair. The rest of Europe will be living without fear, after a fashion, assuming it takes up Osama's most generous offer of mercy, as it will be enjoying re-education classes at the OBL Institute for Teaching the Kufrs that Islam Means Peace.

Really - you need to check out MEMRI's translation of Osama's terms. In addition to a complete Euro pullout from the Middle East, Osama wants a European Commission to collaborate between OBL and the Europeans to teach the Euros why the Jews and American pig monkey dogs need to be exterminated.

Sounds pretty cool, and it looks like a good deal to me. It shouldn't be too tough to get the rubber triangle - France, Germany, Belgium - to buy into it. I'd recommend you all go for it - it's worked out pretty well for Al Andalus, er, I mean Spain, so far...

For another thing, the murder of a bunch of American athletes just might turn out to be one of the most popular spectator sports in the world, especially in parts of the Middle East and Europe. The major networks in the U.S. would positively adore such an event, as it would drive sagging network ratings through the roof.

Of course some would say that the truce offer smacks of desparation of Osama's part, and is a bit delusional, but I say that we can never overestimate the ability of modern western nations to chicken out. We shall see. In case you couldn't tell, I'm not optimistic.

Iraqi WMD Discovered - In Europe

Per today's Washington Post:

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UNITED NATIONS, April 14 -- Large amounts of nuclear-related equipment, some of it contaminated, and a small number of missile engines have been smuggled out of Iraq for recycling in European scrap yards, according to the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog and other U.N. diplomats.

Mohammed ElBaradei, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, warned the U.N. Security Council in a letter that U.N. satellite photos have detected "the extensive removal of equipment and, in some instances, removal of entire buildings" from sites that had been subject to U.N. monitoring before the U.S.-led war against Iraq.

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I wonder what the Greek word is for clusterfuck?

Oh, great Irony - Afghanistan and Iraq cheered, we're going to be stoned/booed.

The USOC has already been preparing our athletes, but it's going to be a shock to a lot of people in the US.

Hmmm, 1400# of dynamite missing......

Arafat's in the "let's send a message to Americans" mode.

Guarantee one thing, we go boom, we will not be asking why you hate us.

Johnathan writes:

"In particular, security services around the world must be wondering what level of risk is being run in holding an event relatively close to the Middle East..."

Relatively close? Greece is part of the Middle East.

Terrorists? --- the most proximate risks aren't OBL et al but ordinary run of the mill Greek drivers.

Charles, in a rare moment of agreement, you are correct about their drivers. Nutty is not the word for them!

Greece is not in the ME! To be strict about it sort of qualifies as the near East, or the Levant, as they used to call it.

A lot of Greeks would not be very amused to be told they are in the Middle East, BTW.

Johnathan -- I was being mildly sarcastic. Perhaps I should use the sarcasm on / sarcasm off html switch, if such exists. BTW translating from Modern Greek is my core activity at the European Commission. And believe me, if you had translated over 20000 pages of total forking garbage from the Greek authorities as I have you would extend the definition of the 'Middle East' to include that country.

A term also used by at least one modern Greek historian is 'Balkanasia' -- includes the Balkans and Turkey etc. as one geopolitical concept.

Hope my wife (place of birth: Athens) doesn't find out about this...

Fair dos Charles, dunno when you are being serious or not. I used to have the same problem when reading Auberon Waugh!

BTW, from what I read and hear, the Greek's management of the Olympics promises to be chaotic. Different govt. departments are running different parts of it with no real overall control. Also, the private firms which ran the v. successful Sydney Games in 2000 offered their services to the Greek authorities but were turned down.

I hope things go all right, though. Be nice for the old home of the games to put on a great show.

But it won't be. Sandy up there is right.

The big story of the Games is that they wil be an anti-American fest that will change the world, as America truly realizes that the world is sick of the US being the cop on the beat..... and much of the world will be forced to come up another cop, pretty damn quick.

There is a sick part of my soul that really wants vast segments of the human race to actually find out what it is like to live in the kind of world that they agitate for every day, as they pour contempt upon the US in the process.

Of course, that might also be akin to a new dark age. I think in general the US will be OK. Much of the rest of the (formerly) civilized world? Not much we can do to save people from themselves.

They have learned nothing, they remember nothing.

what a bunch of uniformed cack. the security for the olymopcis in athens is being run by US and Israeil firms. My onw rother works outof Tel Aviv and has spent the past six months in Athens. According to hi they are taking things very seriously.

Don't forget the last US Olympics in Atlanta were marred by a muderous terrorist who was a member of a movement long known by US authorities. moreover rather than focus on the obvious suspects of right-wing, anti-smeite, anti abortion, militia types the FBI spent a lot of time going after the wrong guy.

For those of you mocking greek organizational skills...let's not forget those effecient games in Germany (take your pick of the two).

The Athens games are going to be fine. they will be in the place of their birth...Greece.

As far as an "anti-American fest" answer this: what organized international event isn't going to be one?

Anti-Americanism in Greece is much commented on. If you read any of the polls, especially the pew survays you will find that core anti-americanism and for that matter anti-semitism is more prevelent and nastier in the countries that allied themselves with us in this war (Poland, Italy, Spain)