Is it our Saudi "friends", our European "friends", our "most-favored-nation-trade-status" Asian "friends", our Russian hegemonistic "friends", or all of the above?
I've read that many high ranking Baathists boogied with the bucks to Syria. Maybe they just hinted at that in this story. I've read a lot of decent stories in the Times, but I don't post them all because I don't want the hassle in the comments just because it's from the Times.