little more than a placeholder

The geographical illiteracy of much of the US population is something of a joke both in-and outside of the United States. But it's a shame that it's shared by so much of its media, particularly when they're frequently sending reporters to distant lands.

For their assistance:

or to put it another way, where is the USA on this map?

So which country should we be surprised has been invited to a regional summit to discuss Iraqi security?

(In response to an NPR story based on this, but seemingly expressing surprise that Iran and Syria had been invited to a regional meeting)