How Ancient Divide Fuels Middle East Conflicts

[hankau62]

I create this thread for the information purpose only. Any bashing and maligning should be taken elsewhere.

Recently German magazine, Der Spiegel, published a in-depth analysis of the mistrust in the middle east. The article based its reasoning on the Shia-Sunni divide.

Part 1: Islam's Ancient Divide Fuels Middle East Conflicts
Part 2: Islam's Curse

Some Snippets:

When Sunnis in Syria fight their country's Alawite regime, they receive help from Sunnis in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. At the same time, Iran supplies Damascus with money, weapons and, more recently, troops.

When Shiites in Bahrain fight their country's Sunni king, they're applauded by Iran and by Syria's regime. At the same time, Saudi Arabia supports Bahrain's despot.

For a time during the revolutions in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt, it seemed that the divide between Sunnis and Shiites didn't play a significant role. But things look different in Syria, which is another reason why this is a particularly dangerous rebellion.