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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Should We Use Sunnis Against the Shiite Ayatollahs?
2006-12-09
...Many Sunnis feel that a new ShiÂ’ia crescent is emerging that will span Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, a development which the Saudis wish to counter. Earlier this summer, the Gulf monarchies were noticeably silent during the early weeks of the conflict in the Lebanon because they wanted to give Israel time to knock out IranÂ’s proxy, the ShiÂ’ite terror group Hezbollah. It was only when it became apparent that Israel was incapable of doing so that they joined in the criticism.
I have become convinced that Shiite power must be destroyed, and that we have no alternative but to play the Sunni-Card. I am aware of Sunni support for al-Qaeda in Iraq, but I believe that a majority of Sunnis will turn on the terrorists once they have no use for them.

A further sign of changing times came with a meeting between Israeli and Saudi Arabia to discuss the Iranian threat in September. Bizarrely, this went almost unnoticed in the West, despite its huge significance. Some Israeli strategists now speculate that Israel, which is also desperate to prevent the Iranian regime from getting the bomb, and Saudi Arabia, which shares the same goal, could even form an anti-Tehran alliance. That is probably far-fetched but the fact that it is even being discussed is a stark illustration of the extent of Saudi fear at the thought of an Iranian nuclear hegemony.

Any Middle East intra-Islamic war of religion, if it comes, would be a horrific, bloody and protracted affair. In Iraq, the Shi’ite- Sunni divide is already on display at its most brutal. Sunni terrorists bomb Shi’ite Islam’s holiest places; Shi’ite death squads torture and murder as many Sunnis as they can get their hands on. Shia hardliners believe that the only way to break the historic Sunni stranglehold on Iraq is with genocidal violence. Even in majority Sunni countries, such as Pakistan, communal violence is worsening despite government crackdowns. As Sunni-Shia ethnic cleansing grimly gathers pace in Iraq, Saudis worry about the concentration of its Shi’ite minority in the oil-rich east of the country (concerns heightened when Shi’ite turnout in the recent munici­pal elections was double that of the Sunni)...
Posted by:Sneaze Shaiting3550

#11  Zenster:

Yah, get Iran out of the way and al-Sadr and Hezbollah go with them. Then Iraq Sunnis will go after their own terrorists.

That pro-Shiite editorial in the Wall Street Journal is scary. East coast conservatives need an education.
Posted by: Sneaze Shaiting3550   2006-12-09 21:47  

#10  It will be very sad, in some respects, if we simply bail and let Allah sort em out. At the same time, US security comes first. If they're killing each other, they won't be killing us, and frankly, I care more about us than them -- particularly when they still do not see how Islam breeds crapulence and bloodshed. If 1400 years of experience has not taught them, we sure as hell can't.

That's the bottom line, exJAG. I, too, would like to see some sort of peaceful democracy installed in Iraq. It appears to be the last thing they (i.e., their leaders) want. Right now, the top priority is no longer Iraq. Neutralizing Iran, heads our Christmas list and we need to get about it.

I'm willing to go a bit more of the distance in Iraq, but I'd just as soon rinse and repeat through their leadership inventory a few times to come up with a crop of individuals who really want a peaceful democracy.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-09 19:48  

#9  Thing is, Zen, helping them kill as many of each other as possible is exactly what we did during the Iran-Iraq war.

From that standpoint, letting the US military get so invested and form lasting relationships with Iraqi forces was a really dumb thing to do. Now we know their names and faces and families, and don't want to see the place ripped apart again.

Ideally, the best solution would have been to lay waste to Iraq, leaving nothing but a warning that we won't be so nice next time. But we're stuck with what we have now, and we don't want to re-create the Iran-Iraq war, this time with us right in the middle of it.

I'm not saying I know what the solution is, but I guess I am saying that stopping short of annihilating every last scrap of enemy capability back in 2003 made today's situation more or less inevitable.

It will be very sad, in some respects, if we simply bail and let Allah sort em out. At the same time, US security comes first. If they're killing each other, they won't be killing us, and frankly, I care more about us than them -- particularly when they still do not see how Islam breeds crapulence and bloodshed. If 1400 years of experience has not taught them, we sure as hell can't.
Posted by: exJAG   2006-12-09 19:03  

#8  eloquent solution

Make that: 'elegant solution'. Carry on.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-09 15:56  

#7  Any Middle East intra-Islamic war of religion, if it comes, would be a horrific, bloody and protracted affair.

Like that's a bad thing. No news here, this has been going on for centuries.

Am I feeling just a little cynical some five years after 9-11? Yew betcha'. If we can put the Sunnis and Shiites at each other's throats, then let's do it. I'm tired of these shitheads killing our fine young soldiers.

I'd love to see a more eloquent solution to the MME (Muslim Middle East) problem. Short of a nuclear holocaust, few present themselves. Those most prone to violence will be the first to die in sectarian strife. This fulfills our requirements for national security in so many ways that we would be fools not to encourage it.

Islam itself is so treacherous that any ploy such as this upon our own part comes across as honest dealing. As I have mentioned countless times before, the bottom line we must take away from our involvement in Iraq is that Muslims simply love to kill other Muslims. The time has come for us to step aside and allow them wish fulfillment.
Posted by: Zenster   2006-12-09 15:54  

#6  Sat Dec 9 Al-Zarqawi said Shiites most dangerous

The slain terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi purportedly believed that Iraq's Shiite Muslims were more dangerous than U.S. forces and more evil than dictator Saddam Hussein, according to a posthumous interview published Friday on the Internet.

December 8, 2006 Osama bin Laden defended attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

CAIRO, Egypt — Osama bin Laden defended attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi against civilians in Iraq, purportedly saying in a taped Web message Friday that the slain militant was acting under al-Qaeda orders to kill anyone who backs U.S. troops.

Dec. 9 MIDEAST: SAUDI KING, ARAB WORLD ABOUT TO EXPLODE

Seems like a wider conflagration in the Middle East is inevitable.
Posted by: RD   2006-12-09 15:51  

#5  Any Middle East intra-Islamic war of religion, if it comes, would be a horrific, bloody and protracted affair.

So you are saying that all these "problems" we have been having in Iraq are actually more of a win-win scenario.
Posted by: Excalibur   2006-12-09 14:49  

#4  I think it is less about the religion than the race. Hack up Iraq/Syria/Iran to create an independent Kurdistan (Kurds in Turkey should be convinced to immigrate if possible). Split the Azerbaijanii out of Iran and let them go solo or join their brothers in Azerbaijan. And divide the Shia Arabs out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to create a Shia Arab state as a buffer between the Shia Persians and the Sunni Arabs.

The Sunni rump of Syria and Iraq can go to whatever Sunni nation can keep them in line.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2006-12-09 12:22  

#3  If the Saudis would pull their heads out of their asses, then they would realize that they can make a deal with us that suits their needs. Of course, they will have to stop funding al Qaeda and Hamas and pump enough oil to reduce prices, but we can deliver Lebanon to the shia free zone, and weaken the shia grip in Iraq, and make war with Iran. In the process, we can remove some of the anti-Israel forces sleeping in the rubble of Gaza.
Posted by: wxjames   2006-12-09 12:10  

#2  Should we use Sunnis against Shiites? Yes
Should we us Shiites against Sunnis? Yes.
Posted by: Grunter   2006-12-09 11:46  

#1  Since Muslims will be killing somebody, it's best if they concentrate on killing each other.
Posted by: gromgoru   2006-12-09 10:50  

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