(Foreign Policy) Edward Luttwak - Through the bullet and the ballot box, Shiite parties have risen to power from Baghdad to Beirut - thereby extending Iran's reach into the heart of the Arab world. But as a popular - and now military - uprising in Syria becomes more powerful, the Shiite ascendancy is coming to an end. Having greatly damaged the Sunni front by sweeping away Mubarak, the "Arab Spring" is now greatly helping it by weakening the Assad regime in Syria. For Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, the purpose of overthrowing Assad is to break the "Shiite crescent": bringing Damascus under Sunni rule, repudiating its alliance with Iran, and cutting off Hizbullah from its logistic base in Syria, thereby allowing Lebanon's Sunnis to regain power along with their Christian allies.
2011-12-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive