My "oh crap" moment in the news out of the middle east

[RandomGuy]

While I have viewed some recent events out of China with their recent interbank lending brewhaha (something similar triggered our financial crisis in 2008) with some alarm, I stumbled across an "oh " moment in reading through the headlines:

Clashes present test for Lebanon's weak military (Shia killing Sunni)
Egypt's Shiite killings raise alarm on hate speech (Sunni killing Shia)


This Sunni/Shia dynamic has been playing out in Syria, but has begun to spread to other countries in the ME.

There has been some rumbling about this being a coming conflict (from muslims themselves), but no violence, until now.

Both Yugoslavia and Iraq showed what happens when you take the lid off a police state when people have some long-running disputes, and this is about as long running as it gets. It would seem this principle has taken hold again. History may not repeat itself, but it can certainly rhyme.

You should be worried. Sorry to bring this down on you, but you should be dimly aware. Saudi Arabia is sunni, Iran Shia. Given Iran may have nuclear weapons within a few years, we could see a middle east with Iran, Israel, and Saudi Arabia with nuclear weapons, and Egypt and Turkey following right along, just to be sure.

A nuclear armed ME with sectarian lynch mobs and cross-boder violence will not be pretty, to put it lightly.

[Spurs da champs]

It's already dangerous when Pakistan has over a 100 (due to the fact they're such an unstable state full of terrorist groups & even aids some who attack India) & Israel who has on more then one occasion ignored another nations Sovereignty by performing airstrikes whenever it pleases. The fact that those 2 are allowed to have nukes & Iran is constantly getting threatened for it's nuclear program, despite the fact it's never attacked another nation is just downright hypocritical.

I do agree however that a fully nuclear armed Middle East would be just crazy; but Israel & the Neocons would never allow that too happen.

EDIT: I meant Iran has never attacked another nation unprovoked.

[The Reckoning]

middle east

[Nbadan]

Iraq versus Iran sound familiar? No doubt that Syria has become a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, or Hezbollah...but nuclear weapons are not 'self-contained' ...nuclear fallout would almost certainly be released in any neighboring region where a nuclear weapon is used....the implications are worrying, especially for any nation considering using a nuclear weapon against another nation...and not protecting its own sovereignty...

[TDMVPDPOY]

why cant they just reallocate/exchange the sunnis and shias to either country?

[Nbadan]

Like Texas with the Indians and Mexicans right?

[Wild Cobra]

why cant they just reallocate/exchange the sunnis and shias to either country?

You clearly don't understand their belief system.

Once a Muslim's clan has owned land, it is always theirs unless they willingly let go of it. They have both owned each others lands, so in their culture, it is all theirs. Including Israel.

[George Gervin's Afro]

You clearly don't understand their belief system.

Once a Muslim's clan has owned land, it is always theirs unless they willingly let go of it. They have both owned each others lands, so in their culture, it is all theirs. Including Israel.

no offense but I am going to rely on other sources for information on the Sunni/Shia conflict..

you don't understand their beliefs..lol

[Nbadan]

Saudi Arabia regards the involvement of Iran and Hezbollah in Syria's civil war as dangerous and believes the rebels must be offered military aid to defend themselves, the kingdom's foreign minister said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference with U.S. Secretary John Kerry in Jeddah, Prince Saud al-Faisal added that Saudi Arabia "cannot be silent" about Iranian intervention and called for a resolution to ban arms flows to the Syrian government.

"The kingdom calls for issuing an unequivocal international resolution to halt the provision of arms to the Syrian regime and states the illegitimacy of the regime," Prince Saud said.

Kerry has returned to the Middle East after a two-day visit to India, and will continue efforts to strengthen the Syrian opposition and revive peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/...95O0QU20130625

[mercos]

Syria was the next logical battlefield in the Sunni-Shia conflict. Whereas Iraq was a Shia majority country run by Sunnis (Saddam), Syria is a Sunni majority country run by Shiites (Assad). After the Arab Spring, the Sunni majority in Syria were emboldened to move against Assad. He probably would have fallen if not for help from Iran and Hezbollah.

Its a real sticky situation for us, because the Sunni rebels in Syria are likely dominated by terrorist groups that will turn on us as soon as they gain power. If not for our sour relationship with Iran due to the hostage crisis all those years ago, we would probably be allied with the Shiites against the Sunnis. Sunni terrorist groups have been our true enemies.

[Nbadan]

likely

No likely about it, they are Islamist...we could be arming the next Al-Queda...

[RandomGuy]

Syria was the next logical battlefield in the Sunni-Shia conflict. Whereas Iraq was a Shia majority country run by Sunnis (Saddam), Syria is a Sunni majority country run by Shiites (Assad). After the Arab Spring, the Sunni majority in Syria were emboldened to move against Assad. He probably would have fallen if not for help from Iran and Hezbollah.

Its a real sticky situation for us, because the Sunni rebels in Syria are likely dominated by terrorist groups that will turn on us as soon as they gain power. If not for our sour relationship with Iran due to the hostage crisis all those years ago, we would probably be allied with the Shiites against the Sunnis. Sunni terrorist groups have been our true enemies.

Pretty much. We are faced with "least bad" here in a situation that is spiralling out of control by the week.

, let's throw our hands in the air and let China solve it. HEHEHEHEHEHEHE.....

They want to drive fancy cars... they can make sure the oil flows, IMO.