With the revelations of Saudi Arabia crucial logistical support for the war, it is clear that the bombing of their security office is an ominous echo of the coming consequences. In the runup to the war, students of international relations and other educated observers could see what went unreported here: the omen implicit in Turkey's refusal to participate, even with the American strongarm diplomacy and the temptation to exploit geostrategic advantage. The gasps of relief must be audible in Ankara these days. Was it luck that kept nations long immersed in historical experience of their own empires, Germany, Russia, France , and Turkey, out of this fiasco, or is there wisdom involved?