Greets and saluts from the NYC metro area. So, Mitt’s busy showing just how ignorant he is of the Middle East.

There’s always a crisis or nuclear development, or Israel is threatened or imperiled. There’s always been regimes under threat from revolt. There have always been regimes that seek to destabilize their rivals and foes.

Just a quick history lesson:

1948 - Israel’s independence; Jordan invades and captures West Bank as part of war; Egypt takes Gaza.

1956 - France, Britain, Israel fight war against Egypt; war called by US/USSR and situation reverts to ceasefire lines from 1948.

1967 Six Day War - Israel captures West Bank, Sinai, Golan, Jerusalem - fighter planes buzz Cairo and Damascus.

1970 War of Attrition between Israel and Egypt

1973 Yom Kippur War - after nearly losing the Golan to Syria and suffering heavy tank and plane losses at outset, Israel regains tactical and strategic advantages - nearly eliminating Egyptian military in Sinai and once again buzz Damascus with planes.

1975 - 1990 Lebanese civil war

1978 Camp David Accords (running through 1981 with Sinai handover)

1979 Iranian revolution

1980 Iran hostage situation drags on

1980 - 1988 Iran-Iraq war - over borders of the Shaat al Arab (oil); hundreds of thousands killed on both sides

1981 Osirak raid by Israel against Iraqi nuclear plant; Egypt’s Sadat assassinated; Mubarak assumes power

1982 Israel invades southern Lebanon because of PLO attacks, rise of Hizbullah and Marine barracks bombing in Beirut; Hama leveled by Hafez Assad (Hama rules)

1983- 2005 Sudanese civil war (includes Darfur genocide)

1986 - 1989 Anfal campaign in Kurdish Iraq - upwards of 1 million killed; more displaced

1990 Iraq invades Kuwait - First Gulf War ensues (sanctions last through 2003 invasion in 2d Gulf War).

That’s just a sampling of major and calamitous events from the past century. Periods of calm are few and far between. Much more common is unrest, violence, and outright war. The selected items don’t include terror attacks like the African embassy bombings; USS Cole attack; the ongoing terror attacks and safe havens in Somalia and Yemen; and actions such as Operation Cast Lead; the Hizbullah War; the Palestinian civil war (following the Gaza disengagement); the intifadas; etc.