Why is it that distant places such as Iraq, Palestine, Iran, and Saudi Arabia seem to have so much influence on our day-to-day lives?
These questions deserve answers. However these questions are far more complex than they may seem at the outset. The first step to understanding the conflicts in the Middle East is to understand the Middle East. This may not seem profound, but we cannot even begin to understand the conflicts without understanding the underlying issues. These might include (to start with) religion, ethnicity, language, social/economic status, location, historical heritage, culture, and no doubt many other issues besides.
Lets take the case of Iraq. In the north there are Kurds, which represent 20% of Iraq's population. They are primarily defined by their ethnicity and seperate language, whereas the rest of the nation is mostly defined by its religion. Sixty percent of the country is Shiite, which is the second most common sect in Islam. Like the historical Protestant and Catholic conflict, Shiites and Sunnis have a long history of conflict. Iran is the only other large primarily Islamic nation which is predominantly Shiite: hence the Iraqi Shiite -- Iran connection. The remaining 20% of the country is Sunni. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni, and under Saddam the nation was run by Sunnis -- hence one source of angst between Sunnis and Shiites. Sunnis resent the loss of power, and Shiites seem keen on sticking it to their Sunni brethren now that they are in charge. You may have heard of people such as Muqtada Al-Sadr, an important Shiite leader, and now you have some additional insight in understanding why his connections to Iran are such a big deal, and some of why he's so angry. In volatile conflicts, minorities often feel very uncomfortable, and in the game of geopolitics the struggle for supremacy between Shiite and Sunni is a defining one for the Middle East.
Even understanding this much about Iraq makes the news much more understandable -- knowing that Iraq's Shiites have connections to Iran and why clarifies a great deal. To take this further, this is also the reason why Hezbollah in Lebanon receives support from Iran -- Hezbollah is the Shiite action arm in Lebanon, and the primary method for Shiites in Lebanon to make their voice heard as they have little representation despite their majority.
My intent is to answer many of these questions which plague us. What's the big deal with Lebanon? Why is Iraq such a quagmire? What's Iran's problem? What about Turkey and the EU? Which part of the Middle East do we get our oil from and how much?
So if you're interested in learning more, please tell me like my article by clicking "I like it." Then in your comments please post questions and comments to help me know what people are interested in understanding. I will take all these things into account, and do my best to address them fairly.
I read and speak Arabic, and have lived in the Middle East. I am not an expert nor am I Arab, but I can be fairly considered a "specialist" in the field. I feel confident I can help you understand the region better. Perhaps with more information at our fingertips we can better choose good leaders and more effective policies -- this is my agenda.
