10.12.2011                      14.Kislev. 5772                       Wajischlach

Wochenrückblick:

Arab World: Getting under Tehran’s umbrella

Iraq’s stance on Syria reflects a new sectarian regional reality in the increasingly Islamized political landscape of the Middle East.

As the Assad regime in Syria fights for its life, it is important to remember that it still possesses a considerable number of assets. Perhaps most important among these is the fact that its regional allies have not abandoned it. As has been made clear in recent days, both the Iranian regime and its Lebanese client Hezbollah are sticking with their troubled Ba’ath colleague in Syria. But the list of President Bashar Assad’s friends does not end with these two.
A third local addition to the roster of influential players still backing Assad is the government of Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq.
Maliki’s backing of Assad is of significance beyond merely the Syrian context. It is an indication that Shia-led Iraq is drawing closer to Iran….