An Amazing Look At The History Of The Current Shia/Sunni Conflict In The Middle East (Video)

WNU Editor: FRONTLINE investigates how a dangerous political rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has plunged the Middle East into sectarian war. Part 1 can be seen here .... Bitter Rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia (Frontline). Part 2 will air on February 27.

Iran Or Saudi Arabia: Pick Your Poison

A must read commentary from Pajamas Media:

What’s your poison: Saudi Arabia or Iran?

That is a choice the next U.S. president must make. In strategic gist the West too is at a point where its myriad of religious-political establishments must decide what wings of Islam, those sponsored by the Saudis or the Iranians, are adept for coexistence.

That a choice has to be made is clear from the savage wars between Shiites and Sunnis and those tearing at Sunni Muslim societies as well as nipping at the heels of Islamic democracies from Turkey to Pakistan and even the Muslim communities of Europe and America. That, too, is a war between Iran and Saudis over corpses of others.

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My Comment: There are no good choices available for the west to grab. Both sides are continuing with their centuries old conflict, and there is no desire for a reconciliation. The breaking point will come when Iran's oil reserves and production cannot meet the financial and economic needs of its people and government. To insure its legitimacy Iran will then start to lay the groundwork for conflict with its neighbors.

As a religious belief, Islam has always been used as an excuse by Middle Eastern elites to give them the authority to influence and control political/economic developments in their countries. Oil has complicated this picture completely, giving a false sense of expectation and further economic and political growth within their communities.

If oil prices decline and economic prospects diminish, religion will then be used for exerting political pressure on others. This is the worse case scenario .... a scenario that can easily get out of control.