Sunni Arab Solidarity Bahrain and the U.A.E. join Saudi Arabia in ignoring a U.S. they don’t trust.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/sunni-arab-solidarity-1451953402
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Monday followed their Sunni Muslim allies in Saudi Arabia in severing ties with Iran. This came despite a lecture to Saudis, from the U.S. State Department and most of the Western press, for executing a radical Shiite cleric on the weekend. The execution of Nemer al-Nemer risks “exacerbating sectarian tensions at a time when they urgently need to be reduced,” said State spokesman John Kirby.
Well, what did the Administration and its media allies expect? The U.S. didn’t listen to Saudi Arabia about the Iran nuclear deal, which it believes signals a U.S. strategic tilt toward Iran and its Shiite allies in the Middle East. They see the Administration backing down on sanctions against Iran for testing ballistic missiles that can reach Riyadh long before they get to New York. They feel under threat from an Iran liberated from sanctions, and they don’t believe President Obama will defend them in a conflict. Why should they heed the U.S. now?
A Middle East dividing into Sunni and Shiite blocs is the predictable consequence of Mr. Obama’s strategy of retreat from the region. As elsewhere, U.S. allies in the Middle East will do what they feel they must to survive, never mind American disapproval.
Comments are closed.
