Shiites and Sunni have been at war for the past fourteen hundred years, but for the last fifteen years the United States (motivated by oil interest) has inserted itself into the fray; and in the process destabilized the entire Middle East.
CBS Sunday Morning gave a quick overview of the religious/ geopolitical factions involved and the crazy alliances the US has committed itself.
This is a Religious Civil War that needs to happen; but we cannot extract ourselves, because our commitment is not to one side or the other - but to oil.
It doesn't have to make sense: it is Religion. '
the Ol'Buzzard
Yeah, I saw this clip on Sunday Morning too -- man, what a tangled web of stupid but long-lasting hatreds. Your comment about oil cuts right to the heart of the matter, of course, at least for the US and the West.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame we can't just step away from all that crap in the Middle East and let everyone duke it out alone. Everything is either in the name of religion or oil. Total stupidity at it's finest.
ReplyDeleteChristians did their infighting in the 15th to 17th centuries, though in Northern Ireland it carried on a bit longer. As a means of separating WE from THEM, religion is hard to beat. The American concern with oil is hard to fathom. Just buy the stuff. The idea that gasoline must cost less than $2.50 per gallon is nonsense. $5 gas would solve a great many of your problems if it were not all used up to finance wars
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