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Source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/securing-the-arab-world/2007/07/24/1185043112303.html
Securing the Arab World
[The Age-Australia] Martin Indyk - As a consequence of the conflict in Iraq, we see that as the U.S. pulls out of that country, Iran is moving in. For some time Sunni Arab leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan had been warning that a Shiite arc was spreading its influence across the region. Iraq's descent into civil war and Iran's defiant pursuit of nuclear weapons have fed these concerns, but it was only when Hizbullah provoked the confrontation with Israel in Lebanon and when Damascus blocked Egypt from intervening in Gaza that these leaders began to ring the alarm bell. Without Iranian backing it is doubtful that Hamas would have succeeded in taking over Gaza last month. Meanwhile, in Iraq, Iran is aiding and encouraging the Shiite militias. Most alarmingly, Iran is attempting to achieve military dominance in the Middle East through a nuclear program that could put it in possession of nuclear weapons within five years.