From The Wall Street Journal:
Convinced that the Obama administration is preparing to retreat from the Middle East, Iran's Khomeinist regime is intensifying its goal of regional domination. It has targeted six close allies of the U.S.: Egypt, Lebanon, Bahrain, Morocco, Kuwait and Jordan, all of which are experiencing economic and/or political crises.
Iranian strategists believe that Egypt is heading for a major crisis once President Hosni Mubarak, 81, departs from the political scene. He has failed to impose his eldest son Gamal as successor, while the military-security establishment, which traditionally chooses the president, is divided. Iran's official Islamic News Agency has been conducting a campaign on that theme for months. This has triggered a counter-campaign against Iran by the Egyptian media.
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My Comment: While the U.S. has tried its best to play a stabilizing role in the Middle East, other factors and events are now dictating events in the Middle East. The Shiite - Sunni divide is accelerating. Oil and its high price is making other groups who do not have access to this wealth positioning themselves to get a piece of the pie. Islamic extremism is still there .... exploiting the economic disparities in society, as well as religious feelings and biases.
The U.S. will always play a significant role in the Middle East .... but the forces that make up the Middle East now far dwarf what the U.S. can provide in the form of peace and security. The U.S. is rapidly becoming just a spectator, with the main battle now occurring between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on one side, and Iran, Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah on the other side.
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