Link to Part I
The ‘post conflict’ Middle Eastern order is yet to define its concrete contours. The disruption of old regional balances that has been on-going since 2002, created power vacuums and paved way for forces of terror to exploit political instability -- all this has also exacerbated regional rivalries. A sense of collective regional responsibility appears to be slowly evaporating and instead virulent rhetoric often coupled with policies of blatant coercion of stable regimes is increasingly becoming a preferred tactic by almost all regional players.
Presently, the region is believed to be shaping up under two broad blocs. One that encapsulates Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt and Kuwait supposedly under US patronage; and the other which encapsulates Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Qatar supposedly under Russian patronage. The current crisis is also often dubbed as the ‘Saudi-Iran rivalry’. Some broad interests of the various states might be aligning at the moment, but owing to Middle East’s complex, diverse and transnational socio-political, ethnic and religious linkages the current path is unlikely to resolve the crisis. Furthermore, each state in this tightly woven area is looking at its own national interests. Similarly, the patronage of the big powers is also diverse, thus only enhancing the unpredictability of outcomes.
Read Complete Article: Broad Alliances and the Unpredictable Middle East Realities- Part II
The ‘post conflict’ Middle Eastern order is yet to define its concrete contours. The disruption of old regional balances that has been on-going since 2002, created power vacuums and paved way for forces of terror to exploit political instability -- all this has also exacerbated regional rivalries. A sense of collective regional responsibility appears to be slowly evaporating and instead virulent rhetoric often coupled with policies of blatant coercion of stable regimes is increasingly becoming a preferred tactic by almost all regional players.Presently, the region is believed to be shaping up under two broad blocs. One that encapsulates Saudi Arabia, Israel, Jordan, Bahrain, Egypt and Kuwait supposedly under US patronage; and the other which encapsulates Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Qatar supposedly under Russian patronage. The current crisis is also often dubbed as the ‘Saudi-Iran rivalry’. Some broad interests of the various states might be aligning at the moment, but owing to Middle East’s complex, diverse and transnational socio-political, ethnic and religious linkages the current path is unlikely to resolve the crisis. Furthermore, each state in this tightly woven area is looking at its own national interests. Similarly, the patronage of the big powers is also diverse, thus only enhancing the unpredictability of outcomes.
Read Complete Article: Broad Alliances and the Unpredictable Middle East Realities- Part II
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