"Playing With Fire"

No, today's blog isn't about the wildfires in California. It's about something much more frightening.

The star of this show is the United States government--the White House, to be specific. Supporting roles are played by Iraq, Iran, and Turkey, and the Kurds, with cameo appearances by Russia and China, Syria, and Lebanon. The role played by Israel is debatable, depending upon your point of view.

Two wars don't seem to be enough for this administration. There is very serious talk about a third. They keep talking about Iran. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Syria was thrown into the mix. And of course there's Lebanon, where Hizbullah--a recognized political party--is determined to defend against Israel (again, this whole question is debated, often loudly).

While the White House disses Iran and imposes new sanctions, Turkey makes a move into northern Iraq against the Kurds--who did, after all, launch a raid into Turkey earlier this week. This unwelcome development is being blasted on all sides.

Ooh, I shouldn't use the word 'blast.' This is what scares me. All these players are poised and hungry for conflict. And then of course there's Pakistan, which is a powder keg within itself because of the U.S.-backed dictator, Pervez Musharraf.

When I teach about World War I, I emphasize, as do most social studies teachers, the danger of entangling alliances. The situation we have now is more one of entangling enmities, most countries out for their own good and the rest of the world be damned.

World War I began with a single bullet. I hope that moment stays relegated to history books. Meanwhile, I'm holding my breath and praying. Often.