Middle East landscape rapidly changing

Started by give her dixie, January 25, 2011, 02:05:36 PM

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periere

The Egyptians were mighty men for this imperial craic at one time

http://www.timemaps.com/ancient-egyptian-history-1000bc#2

Maybe we should ask them how to tackle post colonial issues ?





J70

Quote from: seafoid on November 25, 2015, 03:57:15 PM
Quote from: J70 on November 25, 2015, 03:14:16 PM
Quote from: seafoid on November 25, 2015, 03:10:07 PM
Quote from: J70 on November 25, 2015, 03:08:14 PM
If it's not a bunch of psychopaths embracing the most twisted interpretations of Islam, along with accompanying sectarian strife, then what is the issue?

Will ISIS stop if the west completely disengages from the ME?

Will Saudi Arabia and the Taliban leave behind their repressive societies?
It's not one issue.
Very like Limerick.  ;)

True, but religion is definitely one of the issues. And in the case of ISIS, the Taliban, Al Qaida etc. THE issue.
It's like Europe in the 1600s. ISIS are the new model army. Baghdadi is Cromwell, say. 

Now, what caused ISIS to spring up ? That is the question and it's not enough to say 'religion'.

Apparently a lot of the leadership are Sunnis out of Iraq. A lot of the rest are born and bred Europeans, Arabs and North Africans. They're dreaming of a caliphate, took advantage of the Syrian situation and basically have their own little country now out of which to operate. Whether or not the US, in deposing Saddam, destroying Iraq and backing the rebels in the Arab Spring created or helped create the vacuum in which they've flourished, we're now stuck with a brutal, medieval-minded, fanatical, terrorist safe haven, complete with oil reserves.

muppet

http://waterfordwhispersnews.com/2015/11/25/increasingly-desperate-fianna-fail-refuse-to-rule-out-coalition-with-isis/

Increasingly Desperate Fianna Fáil Refuse To Rule Out Coalition With ISIS

FIANNA Fáil's profound desire to return to a position of power at all costs has seen the political party refuse to rule out a coalition with heinous terrorists ISIS, WWN has learned.

"I'm not going to say who we are or who we aren't willing to go into a coalition with," Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin told reporters earlier today, deflecting direct questions about rumours of a power sharing Government with ISIS.




NB: May not be real!
MWWSI 2017

seafoid

#1128
Just on borders. In 1918   after ww1 three empires (hapsburg. German and Russian) collapsed and the components were formed into new countries like latvia ,czechoslovakia and poland.

Something similar will happen in the ME.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

periere

I'd love to see someone give specifics on what the borders of these new countries would look like.

balladmaker


periere

I read the article. It pretty much goes through all the options. I'm not convinced a further balkanization will work. The article also mentions a key the issue is the legitimacy of the government. That would also be my thinking.  You'll never get that without democracy and I don't think any of those proposed new states would go down that line if they are formed on the basis of sectarian affiliation. Kurdistan might be the only one that would work if the Turks don't destabilize it. Also, the first thing that screams at you from such a map is how natural it would be for Shiite southern Iraq to absorb into Iran.

seafoid

http://www.pnas.org/content/112/11/3241.full

Before the Syrian uprising that began in 2011, the greater Fertile Crescent experienced the most severe drought in the instrumental record. For Syria, a country marked by poor governance and unsustainable agricultural and environmental policies, the drought had a catalytic effect, contributing to political unrest. We show that the recent decrease in Syrian precipitation is a combination of natural variability and a long-term drying trend, and the unusual severity of the observed drought is here shown to be highly unlikely without this trend. Precipitation changes in Syria are linked to rising mean sea-level pressure in the Eastern Mediterranean, which also shows a long-term trend.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

LeoMc

Sunni (Wahabi) Saudi Arabia executes a senior Shia (Twelver) cleric for sedition though all I can see was he called for peaceful resistance if oppression of  Shias is not ended.
In unrelated news Shia Iran announces the execution of a number of senior Sunni clerics.

Are the current round of executions attempts at further ratcheting up tensions in the area or justified and legitimate ( based on their respective versions if rule of law)?

seafoid

Quote from: LeoMc on January 02, 2016, 06:52:27 PM
Sunni (Wahabi) Saudi Arabia executes a senior Shia (Twelver) cleric for sedition though all I can see was he called for peaceful resistance if oppression of  Shias is not ended.
In unrelated news Shia Iran announces the execution of a number of senior Sunni clerics.

Are the current round of executions attempts at further ratcheting up tensions in the area or justified and legitimate ( based on their respective versions if rule of law)?
That Shia imam was executed pour encourager les autres. Purely political.  One of the provinces richest in oil is majority Shia and no dissent is tolerated.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

LeoMc

Quote from: seafoid on January 02, 2016, 08:06:13 PM
Quote from: LeoMc on January 02, 2016, 06:52:27 PM
Sunni (Wahabi) Saudi Arabia executes a senior Shia (Twelver) cleric for sedition though all I can see was he called for peaceful resistance if oppression of  Shias is not ended.
In unrelated news Shia Iran announces the execution of a number of senior Sunni clerics.

Are the current round of executions attempts at further ratcheting up tensions in the area or justified and legitimate ( based on their respective versions if rule of law)?
That Shia imam was executed pour encourager les autres. Purely political.  One of the provinces richest in oil is majority Shia and no dissent is tolerated.
I got that impression from various articles. I suppose I was asking to see was there another side, what were his crimes? He was allegedly involved in a shootout with police but found no detail for or against?

Were the Iranian executions tit for tat or previously scheduled and just poor timing? What were the Sunnis convicted of? What branch if Sunni?

LeoMc

Quote from: LeoMc on January 02, 2016, 08:11:57 PM
Quote from: seafoid on January 02, 2016, 08:06:13 PM
Quote from: LeoMc on January 02, 2016, 06:52:27 PM
Sunni (Wahabi) Saudi Arabia executes a senior Shia (Twelver) cleric for sedition though all I can see was he called for peaceful resistance if oppression of  Shias is not ended.
In unrelated news Shia Iran announces the execution of a number of senior Sunni clerics.

Are the current round of executions attempts at further ratcheting up tensions in the area or justified and legitimate ( based on their respective versions if rule of law)?
That Shia imam was executed pour encourager les autres. Purely political.  One of the provinces richest in oil is majority Shia and no dissent is tolerated.
I got that impression from various articles. I suppose I was asking to see was there another side, what were his crimes? He was allegedly involved in a shootout with police but found no detail for or against?

Were the Iranian executions tit for tat or previously scheduled and just poor timing? What were the Sunnis convicted of? What branch if Sunni?
EDIT: the sources detailing the Iranian execution of Sunni clerics are now dead links. It may have been false propaganda.

seafoid

Iran will respond somehow. All the Shia look towards it for leadership.
I wonder what will happen in the Eastern province of Saudi now . It is majority Shia. The Saudi regime is vile. I suppose they know they will end up on meat hooks.
"f**k it, just score"- Donaghy   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbxG2WwVRjU

Eamonnca1


balladmaker

Quote from: Eamonnca1 on January 07, 2020, 11:44:50 PM
Iran has hit a US airbase in Iraq!

Here we go!  Donald gets the response he wanted.