necoandjeff wrote:

> "Curt Fischer" <crf3@po.cwru.edu> wrote in message
> news:2qg3b4Fviqd5U1@uni-berlin.de...
> 
>>necoandjeff wrote:
>>
>>>"Marc Adler" <marc.adler@gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>news:hbt0d.512$YU2.276@twister.socal.rr.com...
>>>
>>>>Kevin Wayne Williams wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Are you joshing? When people talk about trouble in the Middle East,
>>>>>you think that Israel *isn't* a part of what they are talking about?
>>>>
>>>>Most of the time, no, actually. They think the trouble is all on the
>>>>Palestine side of the wall (which is going to need a name pretty
>>>>soon).
>>>
>>>In my mind, Israel, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, in that order, are
>>>borderline candidates for inclusion in the Middle East.
>>
>>If those are borderline candidates what do you count as undisputed
>>gold-standard countries in the Middle East?
> 
> 
> Arab countries that are surrounded by the above.

Egypt is not Middle Eastern? Hmm.

- Kevin