Sunni

The competition between the two principal Muslim powers in the Middle East – Iran and Saudi Arabia – is in one sense a continuation of the struggle between the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam. Americans might fairly ask, “What does a 1,400-year-old Muslim civil war have to do with us?” The short answer is “everything” for one obvious and one not so obvious reason.

General Mattis’s criticism of Joe Biden is particularly interesting when contrasted to the criticism of Biden by his opponents in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary. Almost all of them have criticized Biden for voting in favor of the Iraq War, but none of them have criticized him for his role in its disastrous aftermath.

Candidate Trump appeared to understand Saudi Arabia. President Trump acts like other submissive royal retainers George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Instead of campaigning to hand the Middle East over to the Saudi royals, the Trump administration should stand for America’s interests.

January 12 is just over a week from today, but that’s plenty of time for the President to make a major policy statement in support of the Iranian people, and to put in motion the actions necessary to support them in their desire to rid themselves of the corrupt mullahs now stifling their liberty – and threatening our own national security.

If President Trump is serious about countering Iranian aggression and repairing the mess in the Middle East left by Obama and Bush, then steps must be taken across the region, otherwise Iran will assert political and economic dominance over the entire northern tier of the Middle East and become the Middle East’s Shi’ite superpower.

Whether the growing anti-Iran coalition in the Middle East will solidify into a real counterweight to a potentially nuclear armed Iran remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: The battle with Israel and Saudi Arabia on one side and Iran on the other is heating up.

Kurds deserve their own country, but Washington should stay out of any conflicts that result.  Please tell us where you stand by taking our poll on the U.S. role in Kurdish independence.

An independent Kurdish state is in America’s strategic interest in our ongoing proxy war against Iran. Starting with diplomatic recognition and support we should be prepared to render whatever assistance is necessary to preserve Kurdish independence.

Washington obviously can do little to “fix” any of these nations. But America could at least affirm the principle that governments should protect their people’s lives and dignity.