United States allows Syria to overhaul two civilian airliners, and that’s news?

In her latest Forbes column, Claudia Rosett accuses the Obama administration of selling out on sanctions against Syria. In doing so, she unwittingly provides the best argument against those sanctions.

Just as Sy Hersh Syndrome turns every story into the My Lai massacre, related viruses turn every story into Oil for Food.

It’d be one thing if the Obama administration were going to export satellite technology that could be used to build ballistic missiles, or materials generally only used in the production of nuclear weapons. But jet engines? As if the Syrians really can’t buy planes anywhere else?

Rosett is not a stupid person. Surely she can imagine how foolish and petty these sanctions look from the other end, and how little they accomplish.

The Syrians have a return address, and are not inconsequentially surrounded by U.S. allies. In spite of Rosett’s last line, it’ll be a green day in hell before they fly one of these planes into the World Financial Center. So in view of the negligible national security consequences, shouldn’t the question be: why aren’t we allowing Syria to buy parts for its civilian airliners from companies that employ American citizens?