Long Established Mideast Powers Are Now Being Threatened By The Islamist Surge

Islamist Surge Threatens Mideast Powers -- Wall Street Journal

U.S. Officials Hope Egypt, Israel, Iraq and Saudi Arabia Find Common Ground in Fight Against Extremist Groups

The eruptions of Islamist violence in the Gaza Strip, Syria and Iraq have begun shaking the Middle East to its core, increasing the likelihood that a new order will emerge when the dust starts to settle.

The region's traditional power centers—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Israel—are all threatened by the surge of Islamist forces that aim to disrupt the status quo. Even Shiite Iran, which often stokes Islamist movements, is finding that the surge of Sunni extremism is threatening its position in the region.

The hope among U.S. officials and U.S. allies is that, in the long run, those traditional powers—which are more often rivals than partners—will find common interest in curbing the extremist forces.

One obstacle to moving from the current chaos to a more stable order is the limited ability of the U.S. to lead such a loose collection of divergent powers.

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My Comment: The Middle East has a history of Islamic militancy/revolution/conquest/warfare that goes back to it's founding 1,300 years ago. What we are witnessing now is just a continuation of this conflict .... but while the same Sunni-Shiite hatreds are now coming to the forefront,  we are also witnessing the West/Israel/and modern secularists in the Muslim world becoming involved in this mess .... a mess that shows no signs of dissipating.