I recall reading an essay in the late 1960s titled something like the Zionist plan for the Middle East. In a nutshell it called for the break up of the Arab states in the region along ethno-religious lines.

At the time, the dream of Arab nationalist leaders and movements was to united the Arabic-speaking people into a progress, secular, socialist unitary state. Assad's Syria is the last remnant of that vision.

Here we are half-a-century later with the Zionist plan, as conveyed to General Wesley Clark at the Pentagon in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 -- regime change in seven countries in five years -- having come to fruition, although it took longer than expected.

Lesson learned: The Empire is far from finished.