tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10968421.post113651529345948061..comments2024-03-23T02:40:59.858-05:00Comments on The Lebanese Bloggers: connecting the dots!Rajahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02625042447499335907noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10968421.post-1136861902081807462006-01-09T21:58:00.000-05:002006-01-09T21:58:00.000-05:00What about a Sunni-Shia war for control of the rep...<B> What about a Sunni-Shia war for control of the representation of Islam and of the area? </B><BR/>I agree with most of your views, but I think that the Shia block (Iran, Iraq) vs Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Egypt) play a very important role in the present war in the area. Countries who have strong Shias and Sunni presence like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq are therefore taken in the crossfire of these two blocks. Talking about the centuries old violent conflicts that have opposed these two versions of Islam seems to be a tabou. Yet it is clear that the Sunni are horrified, that the "heretical" Shias would impose their power on the area and may end up representing Islam. Ben Laden, Zarqawi and the iraqi insurgents have already tarnished the Sunni image vis a vis the west.Personalities like Harari who represented a more 'business, cosmopolitan" brand of sunni was welcomed to counter balance the negative impact of the 9/11 terrorist (all sunni). I think that Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are now the theatre of this new war between the two old ennemies, through their proxies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10968421.post-1136556617010350822006-01-06T09:10:00.000-05:002006-01-06T09:10:00.000-05:00Not sure about the link to the upsurge in Iraqi vi...Not sure about the link to the upsurge in Iraqi violence to Khaddam and international pressure on Syria.<BR/><BR/>There are Iraqi insurgents who have little links to anyone else and who just operate in their localities. I can't see the link to the international scene.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10968421.post-1136543439388761952006-01-06T05:30:00.000-05:002006-01-06T05:30:00.000-05:00...one fact stands out above all others: the commo...<I>...one fact stands out above all others: the common weapon that all of the belligerent parties share is instability...</I><BR/><BR/>and instability precedes... what?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com