Podcasts about sunni shia

Rescue and patchwork relationship.B Book 3 in 18 parts, y FinalStand. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.Loving your enemy is easy, you know precisely where both of you stand(Right where we left off)The closest Marine had been waiting for me to finish my bonding moment with Menner before speaking. He walked and talked like an officer."You are certainly Mr. Cáel Nyilas," he nodded. "I'm Lt. Robeson, United States Marine Corps. I would like to take you and your party home. What is the situation?""Lieutenant, this young lady is Aya Ruger. She was kidnapped along-side me and managed to kill over twenty of our enemies, so be careful around her." I was deadly serious about what I said. Aya should get proper credit for all the people she sedated then drowned. Dead was dead, even if it was accidental."These two," I pointed to Zhen and Mu, "are Lúsìla ninda and Amar, Taiwanese nationals suffering some shock from the abrupt crash landing of the aircraft. They don't seem to know why they were kidnapped, but they were instrumental in aiding Aya and me making it to shore during the typhoon.""If you say so, Sir," he nodded. He did believe me, yet a soldier was taught to be skeptical of anything a civilian told him about a military situation. "The bodies?""Those are the corpses we found after the storm. I decided we should attempt to place them in your custody so you can figure out who they are," I suggested."Sir, I don't think we can let civilians keep their weapons aboard the flight," the Marine Lt. stated since I had both a pistol and submachine gun, Aya had her pistol and Zhen had her and Mu's blades. A Marine NCO sent a party to gather the dead."Marine, I am Cáel Nyilas, Irish diplomat, freebooter and Champion of the worst possible causes," I began my spiel."You probably have some orders concerning bringing me in alive. I am not so constrained and am more than willing to steal this aircraft and fly back to Hawaii without you. My team keeps their weapons, or you give me your best shot, right now," I met his gaze. He mulled over his options. Two Romanians and two Marines were starting to load the ad hoc body bags aboard the C-37B."Normally I don't take that kind of crap from a civilian and I don't want you to think I'm making an exception because of your Security Clearance. I'll let your people keep your weapons, but if something goes wrong, I'm shooting you first," he assured me."Done deal," I offered my hand and he shook it."Oh and Happy Tibetan Independence Day," he congratulated me."What?" I gasped. Rescue and patchwork relationships{6 pm, Sunday, August 17th ~ 22 Days to go}{11 pm Sunday, Aug. 17th (Havenstone Time)}{And just this once, 11am Monday, Aug. 18th Beijing Time}"Oh and Happy Tibetan Independence Day;, nice work.," the Marine congratulated me."What?""How is that possible?" muttered Mu."Yippee!! No more burning monks," Aya fist-pumped. Personally, I think she did that for the enjoyment of our guardians and to piss off Zhen and Mu just a tiny bit more.(Mandarin) "Brother," Zhen studied her brother's pained expression. "What has gone wrong?"(Mandarin) "The province of Tibet apparently has broken away," he groused. In English, to the Marine Lieutenant he repeated, "How is this possible?""I take it you didn't know Peace Talks had broken out?" he grinned. I doubted the Lt. bought my 'these are my two Taiwanese cobelligerents' story, but belief was above his pay grade, so he didn't give a shit."Yes," Mu mumbled, "we knew of the proposed cease-fire.""Yes, you mean both sides actually honored it?" I added. I really had been out things for a while."Nearly two days ago, noon, Peking Time, the People's Republic of China and the Khanate put a six month cease-fire into effect which has remained intact for forty-one," he looked at his watch, "forty-one and a half hours." He was being a cock to the petulant Mu. No one called Beijing 'Peking' anymore. I had even ordered Beijing Duck on several menus. Peking was the height of Western Imperialist thinking, or so it looked to Mu.(Mandarin) "He is yanking your chain, Mu," I explained. "You are looking pissed off at being rescued, which isn't doing my alibi for you much good.""My apology," Mu nodded to the lieutenant. "Is there any news from the Republic of China? Are they free as well?" That was nice of Mu to call Taiwan by its pet name, the ROC."Not yet," he patted Mu's unwounded leg, "but with the utter shellacking the Khanate put on the People's Navy (really the People's Liberation Army Navy, but the Marine was getting his shots in) it is only a matter of time."I had been translating in a low voice to the V nători de munte in order for them to keep up with the conversation. They all started laughing. The Marines joined in. There was a huge joke here that we had missed out on while stranded.(Romanian) "So, ask them if they know where their aircraft carrier is," Menner chuckled. Most Romanians had grown up knowing of only one China.Me: (Romanian) "What!"A Naval Corpsman who didn't know Romanian, but knew 'aircraft carrier' just fine jumped in: "Oh yeah, the missing Chinese Aircraft carrier," she chortled.Mu: "What!"I'd only been gone two and a half days. What the hell had been going on?(What had transpired in my absence and the subsequent consequences)(Notes:P R C = People's Republic of China; PLA = People's Liberation Army;P L A N = People's Liberation Army Navy;P L A A F = People's Liberation Army Air Force;R O C = the Republic of China {aka Taiwan, aka Chinese Taipei, aka the "other China"};The First Unification War {aka what the Khanate did to China in 2014};Truce lasts from August 16th 2014 until February 15th, 2015 = 183 days)There are several classic blunders grownups should know to avoid: never fight a land war in Asia, never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line, and, if you are going to cross a master thief, first make sure you have nothing of value. For the land war in Asia, check with my partner, the Khanate. Substituting Black Hand for Sicilian ~ check with Ajax, use an Ouija board. So far, destiny was batting .500.The last blunder I created entirely on my own, but I felt it was the true and right response for the circumstances. So witness the Six Families of the Ninja and the greatest theft in all of recorded history.In the closing hours of the First Unification War, as in many wars, some serious theft was going on; mainly it was the People's Republic getting fleeced.The most obvious and immediate blows came in the Spratlys and Parcel Islands where Khanate forces (actually, elements from all the JIKIT players) seized the key island in the Parcel chain, Woody Island, and secured the P L A N base the Chinese had created there, including the 2,700 meter runway built there in the 1990's. The 1,443 Chinese civilians and 600 military inhabitants in the area were incidental complications and the survivors were about to be 'repatriated' to the mainland anyway; the Khanate didn't want them hanging around as they prepared for the inevitable end of the six-month truce.Yes, the Khanate had stolen the most important island airfield ~ an unsinkable carrier really ~ in the South China Sea. It was also the northern end of the potential People's Republic of China's stranglehold on the east-west sea lanes between East Asia and the rest of the World, i.e., roughly 25% of all global trade.The southern end? That would be the Spratlys. There are few 'real' islands in that 'island group' and only two worth having: the artificial one the P L A N was building and the one the ROC has a 1200 meter airfield on. That artificial island and every other PRC/P L A N outpost in the region was also stolen by the Khanate between 4 a.m. and noon of that final day of active conflict.Every geological feature that had been the basis for the PRC's claims to all of the South China Sea was now in Khanate hands. Considering how much the P L A N had bullied everyone else in that portion of the globe, the Khanate taking over their geopolitical position was incredibly awkward. It was going to get worse.Technically, the Khanate hadn't stolen the P L A N 'South Sea Fleet' (SSF); they'd blown the fuck out of it, including sinking the sole fully-functioning P L A N carrier Liaoning as well as five of the nine destroyers and six of the nineteen frigates in her battle group. The Liaoning and one destroyer had died in those last few hours as the SSF was racing for the relative safety of Philippine waters ~ so close, but no cigar.So the Khanate had stolen the ability of the P L A N to project power in the South China Sea until February 15th, 2015 when the U N brokered truce ended. But that was not the epic theft, though. That distinction went to the Ninja. What did they steal? A semi-functional Chinese nuclear powered super-aircraft carrier still under construction.The beast had no official name yet, but she was a 75,000 ton engine of Global Domination laid down in 2011 and clearly complete enough to float and to be steered under her own power. (To be on the safe side, the Ninja included stealing four tugboats to help in their getaway.) So, you may be asking yourself, how does one 'steal' a nuclear-powered, 1000 foot long, 275 foot wide and ten-story tall vessel?For starters, you need a plan to get on board the sucker. We had begun with the Black Lotus. They wanted to sneak onboard, exit the dockyard the ship was being built in, then sink it off the coast so it couldn't be easily salvaged. That was plan A.Enter the Khanate and their plans; they too wanted to sink this vessel, and destroy the dry docks while they were at it. That was plan B. Actually, the Khanate desire was to contaminate that whole section of the port city with fallout from shattered reactors. They knew they would have to apply overkill when they smashed that bitch of a ship because the PLAN had hurriedly put on board its defensive weaponry ~ ensuring that the Khanate couldn't easily destroy it. For their approach, Temujin's people wanted the Black Lotus' help with the on-the-ground intelligence work. But the Black Lotus didn't want to help anyone irradiate Chinese soil.Enter JIKIT as referee. All those islands the 'Khanate' was busy stealing were actually part of a larger JIKIT mission called Operation Prism. Another object that was a part of the overall plan was Operation Wo Fat, the sinking of the Liaoning ~ again GPS direction and distance to be courtesy of the Black Lotus.JIKIT absolutely needed the Black Lotus. The Black Lotus wouldn't help anyone planning on poisoning any part of China for the next thousand years. Sinking the unnamed and incomplete vessel off the coast in deep waters meant no nuclear leakage and plenty of post-war time to salvage the wreck before it did start to hemorrhage. The Khanate wanted to kill this potential strategic nightmare no matter what it cost the Chinese ecology.JIKIT went to the Ninja to help them adjudicate the issue. All the lights flared brightly in Ninja-Town when they heard of that delicate dilemma. They could make everybody happy and send a clear message to the Seven Pillars expressing how unhappy the six surviving families were about the 7P's trying to annihilate them when all of this 'unpleasantness' began.The Khanate was already going to blast the shipyards and docks, the Black Lotus was already going to sail the ship into deep waters, so why not take it one step further, sail the ship into Japanese waters and declare it Khanate property as a colossal Fuck You! to the PRC, PLAN and specifically the Seven Pillars, all at the same time?Now normally, you can't steal a ship that big. The owners will notice it is missing and come looking for it. And you can't sell or hide the damn thing. So, you steal it at the tail end of a war before the players can capture, or sink it. It just so happened the Ninja had access to a war and such a time table.The next problem: where do you put it? The Khanate's closest safe haven was 8,000 km away at the Eastern Mediterranean Seaport of Izmir.But wait!The Khanate was about to steal an island airbase with its own (albeit small) harbor. The Khanate was confident that a few weeks after the truce, an alternate port, or two, would become available for the two-to-three year process it would require to prepare the vessel so it could be commissioned as the true warship it was meant to be.So, how do you steal a well-guarded, humongous ship with its skeleton crew of 500? You need a distraction ~ a big one. Remember those Khanate airstrikes? They intended to destroy the dockyards anyway. Now all they had to do was 'miss' the carrier.They could do that. If you recall, to dissuade the Khanate from sinking the ship in the final days of the war, the PLAN had hastily put teeth on the thing by giving it all its pre-designed defensive weaponry and added jury-rigged radar and sonar systems. The carrier could defend itself if needed. With the new plan (C), the airstrikes could avoid those teeth, thus reducing the risk of losing their precious planes and pilots.A series of bombing runs and missile hits near the carrier would convince the PLAN admiral in charge to hurriedly put some distance between the ship and shore, Not out to sea. That would be stupid. Within the harbor, his weaponry could adequately defend his ship. And if she took serious damage, he could run her aground, so the vessel wouldn't really sink.The only problem was that out in the harbor, with everything exploding, he was away from the only ground security support available. That was when the Amazons, Black Lotus, Ninja and JIKIT mercenaries would make their move. How could they sneak up on such a big, important ship? By using the submarines the US Navy, the British Royal Navy and Japanese Defense Force were providing, of course.Note: As I stated earlier, Lady Fathom, Addison and Riki had wandered way off the reservation . By this time, if you were a Japanese, British, or American submarine commander in the Yellow Sea and you weren't part of this madness, you were insanely jealous of those who were.The missions JIKIT was sending them on were:-definitely Acts of War if they were ever discovered,-far more dangerous than any war game exercise they'd ever been part of, and-the ultimate test of their crews and equipment.These people weren't suicidal. They believed they were the best sneaks under the Seven Seas and now they could prove it ~ in 50 years when this stuff was declassified (if it ever was).For the one American, two British and four Japanese submarines inserting the assault teams, this whole mission had a surreal feel to it. They were transporting a packed assortment of women of Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian descent along with some very lithe Japanese ladies and gents, none of who talked a whole lot.There was a third group with the spooky women and spookier Japanese teams, and that group was scared shitless about the sudden turn their lives had taken. They were all former American and British servicewomen (to not tick off the Amazons too much) with carrier and/or nuclear reactor experience who had been RIFed (Reduction in Force, aka fired) in the past five years from their respective national navies.Around a week ago, they had all answered an advertisement by a logistics support corporation that was going to do a 'force modernization' in an unnamed country. They all knew that mean the Khanate. The job had been laid out as 'basically your old job with the addition of training the natives' and it included the promise of no combat.It was a guaranteed five year contract with an option for a year-to-year extensions for another five years if you desired to stick around. For that, you received your 'pay grade upon retirement + 20%', free room and board, private security, judicial protections and a $10,000 to $10,900 signing bonus. For many struggling military families, it was manna from Heaven and thousands were signing up.Then 72 hours ago, a different group from the same company came knocking on the women's doors. If you could come with them right then and there, they had a satchel of money, $100,000 to $109,000, tax free, and a Non-disclosure Agreement for you to sign. Sure, the deal sounded shady, but the money was very real.Twenty-four hours later those who accepted the money found themselves in a small fishing village on Ko Island, Japan. There some rather fiercely intense people outlined the job they were needed for. From a submarine, the assault teams would sneak aboard the carrier, neutralize the crew and then the new crew (them) would sail it to Jeju, Jeju Island, South Korea.At that point they would be allowed to stay with the vessel (preferred), or depart for a non-war zone of their choice. Both options came with another $100,000 to $109,000 payment. Anyone who declined this particular job would remain incognito on Ko Island for another 48 hours then be allowed to leave without the need to return their initial payment.Of the 312 job applicants, 293 volunteered for both the first and second parts of the assignment. With the technical and linguistic expertise of the Amazons and 9 Clan members that would be enough to get their prize to Jeju Island's temporary safety and then make the last leg to Woody Island and a more permanent anchorage.Besides the airstrikes to goad the carrier away from the wharves, all the Khanate had to do with the carrier was put three or four clearly Mongolian faces onboard when the various nations of the world came calling. After all, what was the public going to believe:, the Khanate had pulled off yet another daring (i.e., mostly JIKIT) Special Forces coup, just as they'd managed to do throughout this short war, or that 'Ninjas stole my Battleship, umm, carrier' stuff some PRC leaders were claiming? Forty-eight hours later the whole globe was able to watch the newly named Khanate supercarrier, the  z Beg Khan, passing through Japanese territorial waters while being escorted by South Korean and Japanese warships.The PRC did complain to the United Nations over the 'theft' of both the carrier and 'their' islands, but the Security Council, led by the UK, could and would do nothing about the 'latest round of injustices heaped upon the People of China'. By the time the UN got around to doing nothing, the next round of JIKIT diplomacy was causing the PRC even greater headaches.That greatest theft, while remarkable in its own right, was really a sideshow to the reordering of the political order in Southeast Asia. The big winner wasn't the Khanate. And it certainly wasn't the mainland Chinese. No, the nations to immediately prosper were an unlikely pair, the Republic of India and the People's Republic of Vietnam (PRV). The Republic of China (R O C) was also getting its own small boost as well.By gambling their precious navy, India had become the largest power broker in the South China Sea's resource bonanza. She went from a minimal presence to being the critical ally of the Khanate and the 'big stick' (naval-wise) of Asia's new dynamic duo. The Indians had the only two functional aircraft carriers in the region and the Khanate had Woody Island with a mega-carrier number of planes sitting on it.Their combined naval aviation was not something any of the others powers wanted to mess with. The duo then sealed their supremacy by making the duo a trio. That third member was the PRV. Vietnam was the land-based logistical anchor of the three regional powers.Not only did Vietnam gain the prestige denied it for over two centuries, it redressed the P L A N humiliating treatment of their own navy for the past thirty years. The Khanate's naval aviation would shield Vietnam's economic exploitation of the Parcel Islands. The Indian Navy could counter anything the P L A N South China fleet could come at them with.Yes, the P L A N had two other fleets, the Northern and Eastern, but both had been put through their own 1001 levels of Hell by the Khanate's air power, plus they had to protect the Chinese heartland from Russia and North Korean ambitions. The South Koreans and Japanese were suddenly a very real threat from the East too. But for the time being, the Indians had the decisive edge.The final location for the  z Beg Khan was an old familiar haunt for some Americans, Da Nang, PRV. It had the facilities, courtesy of the US military from the 1960's and 70's, to be the new base for the Khanate's Eastern Fleet and logistical hub for their naval aviation forces in the Parcel Islands.The Vietnamese were thinking with more than their testicles, as were the Indians. Sure, geopolitical clout was nice, yet that was only the icing on the economic cake that was the Parcel Island Accords. That hasty bit of JIKIT backroom dealings gave a 50% stake in the Parcels to the PRV.India got 20% of something she had 0% in a month ago. The Khanate gained a 20% stake for their audacity and the ROC gained 10% because the other three would protect its share from the PRC. Something was better than nothing and the three legitimate powers agreed to the deal because in less than six months, the PRC would be back in the game.The Indians and Vietnamese wanted the Khanate to stay interested in the region and the Taiwanese wanted to forge closer ties to the Khanate. That treaty was a 'no-brainer'. Within one week, the Vietnamese were strutting like peacocks and internal political opposition to the Indian intervention into the South China Sea in the Indian parliament was silent.The Spratly Islands was a tougher deal to work out within the six month timetable. There were more players ~ the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand (who had a non-functional carrier). The JIKIT deal gave everyone but the Indians a 10% piece of the huge natural gas, oil and fisheries pie and the Indians got 20% once more.The Philippines and Malaysia were both very opposed to this treaty; they believed they deserved a far larger portion of those regional resources. Indonesia and Thailand also felt they could hold out for a bigger slice and weren't happy with India getting so much for basically having a double handful of ships (34 actually) sailing about.That 'handful of ships' was the point JIKIT was trying to make. If the PRC beat the Khanate next year, did any of the players think the PRC would give them anything, even if they promised them more right now? Really? When the PLAN had the biggest guns, they hadn't respected any other claims to the region. Why would that change in the future?The reality was this: India would only stick around if they had the economic incentive to remain. Vietnam, the Khanate and the ROC were watching the clock and realized this was the best deal they would get. Brunei and the Philippines were also coming to that understanding. Brunei was tiny (thus easy to defend), very rich already and a good ally of the British.The Philippines had a very weak navy and a non-existent naval air force. They couldn't even enforce their current claims versus Brunei, much less confront the PLAN, or any other nation's current military. The Philippines was, sadly, relatively big and very poor. Its big traditional ally was the United States, and the US was currently busy doing 'not much' about the South China Sea situation.The world's biggest navy was partially taking up its traditional (and treaty bound) role of interposing itself between the North Koreans, PLAN/PLAAF and Russians arrayed near Japan and South Korea, or busily not 'ratcheting up tensions' in the region by sending more forces into the front lines.President Obama was urging dialogue and 'stepping back from the brink' even though every country in Southeast Asia felt the brink had already dissipated the moment the PRC was forced to accept the cease-fire. In this context, the Philippines had good reason to be feeling lonely at the moment.Bizarrely, both New Delhi and Hanoi were singing the praises of US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Rt. Honorable Phillip Hammond, Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for the UK, for their deft handling of the crisis, thank you, Riki Martin and Lady Yum-Yum.Riki wasn't expecting any thanks. She was certain she'd be fired and imprisoned for the rest of her life. Lady Fathom Worthington-Burke was sure she'd get two additional knighthoods out of the deal, which would look very nice engraved on her tombstone. Javiera had long ago decided to face the music and go down with the ship, so to speak.The CIA's Addison Stuart already had her exit strategy. She was going to go work for the Khanate, building up their clandestine service when this whole mad scheme collapsed into recriminations and 'extreme sanctions'. Mehmet, Air Force Sr. Master Sgt. Billings and Agent-86 had all decided to go with her. Katrina had their escape plane on standby. Mehmet's family was already 'vacationing' in Canada.Anyway, the Republic of India, the Khanate, the Republic of China, the People's Republic of Vietnam (the Vietnamese were happy to already be getting half of the Parcel Island windfall), the Sultanate Brunei (Lady Fathom 'knew' some people and the Sultan was an autocratic Muslim ruler, just like the Great Khan) and the Philippines (because they had no other true choice) were all coming around to signing the Spratly Accords.Indonesia and Thailand were kind of waiting for a better deal. Malaysia was downright hostile, having gravitated toward the PRC over the past decade and been assured by the PRC a better apportionment would be their reward for upsetting the treaty process.The Great Khan's answer was simple. He publically threatened the Malaysian Federation in general and both the King (Sultan Abdul Halim of Kedah) and Prime Minister of Malay (Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak) in particular with military action if they kept dragging their feet.He even told them how he'd do it. He'd butcher or expel every living thing in the states of Perlis and Kedah (~ 2.1 million people) and give those empty lands to Thailand to settle along with the added sweetener of Malaysia's 10% of the Spratlys. He would also invade Eastern Malaysia, taking the island state of Labuan for himself while giving Sarawak to Indonesia and Sabah to the Philippines if those to states agreed to the split.He'd also decimate their navy & air force before devastating every port city, just like he'd done to China. He'd already killed more than two million Chinese. What was another two million Malays to him? Also, Indonesia wanted Sarawak and the Philippines had claims on Sabah. While they were openly and publically defying the Great Khan's plan, could Malaysia really take the chance?What would India and Thailand do while this was going on? Thailand stated that it would protect its territorial integrity, whatever that meant. India wasn't returning Malaysia's phone calls while showing their populace re-runs of Malaysian violence against their Hindu minority, the bastards!To the world, the Indian Navy proclaimed it would 'defend itself and its supply lines' which was a subtle hint that they would shepherd any Khanate invasion force to their destination. Why would the Indians be so insensitive? The Malaysians were screwing up their deal to get 20% of both the Parcel and Spratlys wealth, that's why.If the Khanate went down, there was no way India could defend their claims (which they'd won by doing nothing up until now). Oh yeah, Vietnam began gathering up warplanes, warships, transport ships and troops for the quick (710 km) jaunt across the Gulf of Thailand to north-eastern Malaysia to kill Malaysians because Vietnam needed the Khanate to ensure their own economic future as well.That military prospect had a cascade effect, especially among the Indonesian military. If the Indian Navy remained active, the vastly more populous Western Malaysia couldn't reinforce the state of Sarawak. Sure, the Philippines was unlikely to conquer Sabah on their own, but all the Indonesians needed was for Sabah to be kept pre-occupied while their army took their promised territory, fulfilling a fifty year old dream of conquest/unification.The United Nations blustered. It wasn't that they didn't care, they did. They also cared about the deteriorating situations in Libya, Nigeria, Syria and Ukraine. The situation was complicated by the unwillingness of the permanent members of the Security Council, namely the PRC and Russia, to recognize the Khanate.In reverse, when those two tried to stick it to the Khanate, the UK stoically vetoed them. Why? Well, more on that later. Let's just say the Khanate was good for business in the European Union in general and the United Kingdom in particular because the Khanate was prepared to economically befriend the British. Ireland was being treated in a promising manner too. The United States,the United Nations?Let's just say that in the two months following the cease-fire, the Khanate bloodily and brutally solved the ISIS conundrum and the Donbass Crisis. When the smoke cleared, the Khanate had reintroduced the practice of impalement to the modern battlefield, driven the separatists from the Ukraine and was on the border with Israel and Jordan.Sure, the Ukrainians were stun-fucked by the Khanate's 'peace-keepers' going on a bloody rampage through the eastern rebellious regions, but they had delivered up peace by mid-September. Yes, the Russians were in an uproar about the impalements.As the Khanate spokesperson said, 'if they aren't your people, then it is not your problem' and 'there are no more Russians left alive in the Ukraine'. In fact, fewer than a thousand people, all armed insurgents, were executed in such a manner, but the terror created by the highly publicized killings had the effect of sending a hundred thousand people stampeding over the frontier into Russia proper.Next, the Khanate said it wanted to 'reexamine' the Crimean situation. There were Turcoman in that area and they weren't being treated well, or so it was claimed.Even as Russia and the Khanate were posturing in the Donbass, the Khanate struck in the Middle East. By the end of September, Syria and Lebanon had ceased to exist as organized entities. Most of those two countries as well as portions of western Iraq became Turkish provinces in the Khanate infrastructure. Northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq became the Khanate state of Kurdistan.It was a campaign reminiscent of the 13th century Mongol conquest, not a modern military struggle. Whole villages were eradicated. The entire Arab population of Mosul was exiled to the new territories in the East. The city was repopulated with Kurds from Turkey. Back in Turkey, those Kurds were replaced by Armenians from Azerbaijan, cauterizing another internal issue within the Khanate.Jordan was cautiously hopeful. Israel? "We don't seem to be having problems with Hezbollah anymore," with a shrug and "it could be worse." As for ISIS; there really was an Islamic State controlling more than half of Iraq and all of Syria now and it allowed no other pretenders to that distinction. By the time the world woke up to that reality though, the Great Hunt had happened and I was dealing with the consequences of that.A larger ideological and political matter was occurring in the United States, the United Kingdom (and to a limited extent Australia and Canada). The Ramshackle Empire (aka the Khanate) was just that ~ a Frankenstein nation fueled more by nationalistic pride and nostalgia for a Super-State (that only two living people had firsthand experience with) than an integrated armed forces and infrastructure.It may have been built upon more than a 13th century creation and two hundred years of real and imagined oppression. It did have long term planning and real genius driving it forward. Having throttled the PRC into giving them six precious months of peace to 'tidy up the backyard' (aka the Middle East and Russia) and forge a true nation, the Khanate was now hiring experts to aid them in the task.First and foremost, Temujin and the Earth & Sky had envisioned an armed state built upon military principles and discipline. Fate had delivered to them the means of their own salvation in the form of NATO's policy of disarmament and 'Reduction-In-Force' levels (RIFed).The US and UK had trained tens of thousands of male and female volunteers in their Armed Forces in infrastructure creation and management for the Afghanistan and Iraq campaigns. From 2010, those militaries had informed those experts that their services were no longer required. Unlike the shrinking militaries of the 1990's, there was no private sector to 'soak up' the majority of those personnel.The Earth & Sky had been working on the problem of nation-building on a time table and they kept coming up short. They had to fight to create their state first, so the all-important after-battle had been something their leaders dreaded. Temujin had been understanding about not everything being 100% ready. Few wars were fought that way.Then a young male Amazon of mixed Magyar ancestry talked history with the Earth & Sky representative to a seemingly inconsequential personage's funeral. A few critical E&S leaders (a minority, to be sure) immediately sought ways to cultivate this man into what was a ten year plan to open doors to the Amazons. Then that man saved the Great Khan's life and everything changed.Before the E&S had even remotely considered directly approaching the Amazons for help, the Amazons came knocking on their door. The Seven Pillars of Heaven had tried to kidnap a camp full of Amazon children ~ an assault on their future. The two secret societies were bound by one unique, fortunate idiot and a mutual thirst for vengeance.They were also directed by two incredibly foresighted, ambitious and brilliant people. In Katrina of Epona, the E&S elders found someone who equaled their hope to see the Seven Pillars humbled and humbled immediately. Moreover, these were the Amazons they were dealing with. Amazons always sought both lightning decisions and long term solutions.From the moment Iskender left his third meeting with Cáel Nyilas, Katrina put the fruits of the First Directive (the Amazons efforts to recruit militant outsider women) into overdrive. Havenstone had the apparatus in place to screen potential inductees. All they had to do was add a "can you suggest any other people who might be interested in this line of work" box to their employment forms.That brought men into the process in surprising numbers. The market was flush with military veterans having trouble readjusting to the civilian community. The Khanate wasn't hiring killers. They wanted ex-military and civilian police officers to create a national police force.They also wanted engineers and builders, cadres for their cadet corps and a whole range of specialist in jobs most of the Western World took for granted. The money came from off-shore accounts funded by Havenstone International. The employment opportunities came from Earth & Sky front companies operating in the UK and the US (and Israel, but that was another matter).They had already started hiring scores of civilian English-speaking experts to help build their newborn nation's infrastructure before the first blow landed. English hadn't been chosen out of any cultural bias. Relying on Russian and Chinese sources wasn't feasible, the Khanate wasn't overly linguistically gifted where distant tongues were concerned and, as pointed out, the English-speaking world had a glut of applicants.Now to the problem, there were people in the US and UK who weren't happy with their citizenry going to the Khanate and helping them to survive and thrive. These power groups wanted the Mongol-Turkish Empire to keep the resources flowing to the West, without any reciprocal commitment on their part.Imagine their surprise when some wonks at the State Department and Foreign Ministries found bundles of expedited passport requests to the (former) nations of Turkmenistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia (and later Afghanistan and Iraq). The Department of Defense  Ministry of Defense were discovering their former military personnel and civilian contractors with Security Clearances were heading the same way.Of all those destinations, only Mongolia and Kazakhstan were under any kind of 'Restricted Travel' advisories. Barring any coherent anti-Khanate strategy from their administrations, the bureaucracies were doing their jobs, with Havenstone exerting just enough influence to get the job done while flying beneath the radar.After JIKIT was created, the group had a US Senator greasing the wheels to get the requests expedited. In England, Lady Worthington-Burke shamelessly used the people at the other end of the O'Shea hotline to get the job done overseas. She did have to sell out a teammate, but that was what good boys were for ~ taking one for the team. (That would be me, if there was any misunderstanding.)When Cáel Nyilas was kidnapped under the watchful eye of the FBI (I wasn't sure how they got that bum-wrap), the whole situation exploded. The PRC didn't have me, yet promised they might produce me if certain concessions were made. According to Addison, I was worth 5,000 barrels a day of refined fuel oil and 50 tons of coal a month, and the Great Khan agreed to pay! Woot! I was loved by somebody who was a somebody.All that attention drove home some salient points. I was a noble scion of Ireland, Romania, Georgia and Armenia (in no particular order) and they all wanted to know why the US had let me be kidnapped. Didn't my president know I was a sacred national treasure? After JIKIT tracked down the bribes and clandestine activities to Chinese shell corporations, those powers wanted to know what sanctions would be applied.'But wait, wasn't I a private citizen?' my national leaders pleaded. Then the PRC made a case which boiled down to 'I had it coming for being a fiancé to Hana Sulkanen and a brother to the Great Khan', while ignoring me being snatched in the territorial US of A. Of course, they didn't claim to have actually done the kidnapping.Javiera was waiting on that one; 'What was their excuse for kidnapping a little US girl to force my compliance?' The furious Federal authorities even found two dead adult bodies and two digits from said child to add to the media frenzy. To prove I had migrated to fantasy land, the CNN journalist got it right ~ they had tortured the girl and I had killed two of them for it. Just ask the Romanian Army how lethal I could be.In a rare comment, Temujin informed the international press that he believed I was still alive. Why did he believe that? If I wasn't, they would have been able to spot the pile of dead enemy around me and my 'boon companion' (go Aya!) from orbit. Until they discovered this carnal pit from Hell, I was surely still alive.Just at the cusp of turning publically against the Mongol barbarians, the world suddenly got angry with their enemy, the PRC. The principal two Western regimes were paralyzed with indecision until my miraculous cry for help from the middle of the Pacific showed the world I was alive, had punished my enemies and rescued others from under the opponent's cruel thumb.Clearly if I started ranting against the People's Republic of China, my government would be rather peeved with me. I hadn't screwed a dozen poli-sci majors to miss out on that obvious situation. I behaved and hoped they wouldn't make me die from an embolism, or some other equally implausible cause.(DC is a marvel. 9 pm, Monday, August 18th. 21 days)I'd been dragged to DC, to honor promises made in Rome a week ago. I had another choice; I could have justifiably said I was still getting over my kidnapping ordeal. But that choice fucked over Javiera Castello, my boss at JIKIT (Joint International Khanate Interim Task force).That was how I ended up in a 'secret and secure' meeting with Tony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) and his experts. He was someone I didn't know. The rest, I'd had a verbal run-in with them after the Romanian bloodbath. I'd been cranky. I would hardly consider us to be on good terms now.All four experts were from the US State Department. They were foregoing their usual group of flunkies because this meeting wasn't really happening. All the participants were officially somewhere else, mostly not even in D.C. Had this soiree 'really happened', the Congressional sub-committees would have been able to request the minutes of Tony's meeting with members of JIKIT and:·         Victoria Nuland, Ass. Sec. of State for European & Eurasian Affairs (ASSEEA)·         Robert O. Blake Jr., Ass. Sec. of State for S & C Asian Affairs (ASSCAA)·         Daniel R. Russel, Ass. Sec. of State for E. Asian and Pacific Affairs (ASSEAP)·         Bill A. Miller, Director of the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) (aka Big Willy)We made stiff, formal introductions (which signaled the utter lack of trust in the room.) Javiera hadn't wanted to put me through an interrogation this soon after my near-death experience, considering my snarky nature when stressed. The White House was putting the squeeze on her. The main player was Tony, who talked with the Leader of the Free World on a weekly, if not daily, basis.The Diplomatic Security Service people had successfully peeled off Pamela and my SD Amazons only after they agreed I could keep Aya. They tolerated me keeping the nine-year old girl despite the obvious fact she had gone through worse hardships than I had endured and was still packing her Chinese QSW-06 suppressed pistol.I had already fabricated and submitted my report on how I'd overcome a plane-full of rogue delinquents from the Forumi i Rinis  Eurosocialiste t  Shqip ris  (Euro-socialist Youth Forum of Albania) bent on recruiting impressionable European socialites by accessing my Twitter account.That's right, the Albanians had it out for me. I reiterated that critical bit of data to the Department of Homeland Security when they questioned me on the veracity of my memories. The two ethnic Chinese I was found with? I thought they were from Taiwan, and they both appeared to be suffering from amnesia.I was already suffering repercussions from my pathological refusal to take life seriously. Javiera believed I was about to get a formal apology from Ferit Hoxha, Permanent Representative of Albania to the United Nations. Damn it! Now I had to do something nice for the Albanians. Maybe I'd offer them membership in the Khanate, full-statehood with an economic package to sweeten the deal.Yes, that was how Albania and Kosovo joined the Khanate, a product of my love for exaggeration and a little post-Ottoman solidarity over Tarator (cold soup made of yoghurt, garlic, parsley, cucumber, salt and olive oil with a side of fried squids), Tav  Kosi (lamb meatballs) and Flia & Kaymak (a dessert I highly recommend).We had toasted the Pillars of Kanun (Albanian oral law and tradition): ~ Nderi (honor), Mikpritja (hospitality), Sjellja (Right Conduct) and Fis (Kin Loyalty), ~ and he promised to tell his people that I had Besa which was an Albanian-ism for being a man who would honor his word of honor (despite us being brought together by my lie). The shit-ton of financial and military aid I asked the Great Khan to sweeten the pot with might have helped as well.Later, Lady Yum-Yum told me that the military leaders of NATO called it a 'master-stroke' in neutralizing Comrade Putin's Russian-backed 'Greek threat

Executive Director of the Philos Project, Luke Moon, joins Joseph Backholm to unpack the latest developments in Syria. With HTS overthrowing the Assad regime after 54 years, they explore whether the new rule is any better - or just as bad. Luke breaks down the roots of the civil war, the role of the Alawites, and why Christians are being targeted. We also examine HTS’s origins, the broader Sunni-Shia conflict, and how this power shift in Syria might be influencing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Tune in for a deep dive into the complexities of Syria’s ongoing turmoil.

Executive Director of the Philos Project, Luke Moon, joins Joseph Backholm to unpack the latest developments in Syria. With HTS overthrowing the Assad regime after 54 years, they explore whether the new rule is any better - or just as bad. Luke breaks down the roots of the civil war, the role of the Alawites, and why Christians are being targeted. We also examine HTS's origins, the broader Sunni-Shia conflict, and how this power shift in Syria might be influencing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Tune in for a deep dive into the complexities of Syria's ongoing turmoil.

Executive Director of the Philos Project, Luke Moon, joins Joseph Backholm to unpack the latest developments in Syria. With HTS overthrowing the Assad regime after 54 years, they explore whether the new rule is any better - or just as bad. Luke breaks down the roots of the civil war, the role of the Alawites, and why Christians are being targeted. We also examine HTS’s origins, the broader Sunni-Shia conflict, and how this power shift in Syria might be influencing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Tune in for a deep dive into the complexities of Syria’s ongoing turmoil.

Ashira Darwish is a motivational speaker, film director, and the creator of Active Meditation, a trauma-healing modality combining Sufi and Kundalini practices. She specializes in trauma therapy for Palestinians, emphasizing collective healing and the power of activism and storytelling. In our conversation, she discussed the desecration of nature and land by colonial forces, the disruption of intergenerational knowledge, and the importance of solidarity in the fight for liberation. She also critiqued the rise of talk therapy as a substitute for community support and highlighted how colonialism and individualization suppress collective healing practices. As the director of Where Olive Trees Live, Ashira shares stories of resilience, offering a hopeful vision for Palestinian liberation and the importance of healing through unity.

The episode with Professor and Middle East expert Stephen Zunes began with Professor Michael Krasny asking about the victory of HTS over Assad in Syria and the poison weapons that remain there, as well as what to expect of the new government and its effect on ISIS, the Kurds, and migration.Krasny spoke of the profound enmity and divisions, and he and Zunes discussed prospects for democracy and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Talk of Iran's role, the Houthis and Yemen, secularism, and the Sunni/Shia divide followed, as did discussion of Saudi Arabia rebranding itself, rising anti-Semitism, and "intifada" and "jihad" as triggering words. A listener posed questions about Egypt refusing to open its borders to Palestinians.Krasny then brought up the question of possible paths to peace and how best to determine bad actors from good ones in the region, as well as the likely effects of ongoing turmoil there and the effect of change in Syria on Russia's Putin and the ongoing war in Ukraine. The episode concluded with a listener's question about if and when Jewish Americans will be permitted to visit Syria.

In this week's episode, Sayed Ali Radhawi is joined by his daughter, Haneen, for a lively and brief discussion about her interests, a touch of Quran, and some humorous moments. The episode also includes responses to fan comments and DMs, with Sayed Ali addressing speculation about stepping down as a host. He reflects on topics such as Syria, Sunni-Shia sectarianism, and shares updates on what's new and upcoming for After Maghrib. Plus, find out why his co-host, Ahmed Gokal, is taking a break. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation!

In this episode of the After Maghrib Podcast, hosts Ahmed and Sayed Ali dive into the ongoing conflict in Gaza and Beirut, exploring how external forces are attempting to exploit sectarian divisions between Sunnis and Shias. They discuss the dangerous "divide and conquer" tactics being used to fracture the Muslim community, but emphasize how unity amongst Muslims has been a source of strength throughout history. By standing together, despite efforts to sow discord, the Muslim ummah remains resilient and powerful in the face of adversity. Tune in for a critical conversation on solidarity and resistance.

As Israel ponders its response to Iran, as allies urge restraint, as battles targeting Tehran proxies rage in Lebanon, let's begin with a simple fact of geography: Iran and Israel don't share a common border. Since October 8, Tehran has been touting a so-called axis of resistance; what Israelis brand a ring of fire, with Iranian-backed militants in Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Syria ... to which the US would add Iraq. With the past two weeks of military successes, are we seeing a short run that restores a measure of aura for Israeli might, or something more profound that could deal a blow to these non-state actors and upend the region's balance in ways unseen since the 1979 Iranian revolution? One can look at Middle East rivalries and alliances through the prism of Israel's relations with its neighbours, but also through the up-and-down Sunni-Shia divide.In the middle are the likes of Jordan, whose military shot down Iranian missiles on Tuesday night. Its own population sees no good outcome in the current spike in tensions. With the US and Europe ineffective in stopping this spiral the past 12 months, is there any bold initiative that can turn the current nightmare into a positive dynamic?

As the regional war wages on, we've seen assassinations and retaliations from state and non-state actors. This week, we're joined by Br. Hassan al-Qadri to further understand a number of key points. This includes, the role of the Muslims in the west, Gaza one year on, maintaining conviction in Dua to Allah (swt), the arrival of Imam Mahdi, the Sunni-Shia dialogue, Arab state involvement, and how Muslim influencers have reacted to the war in Palestine and Lebanon. This episode is filled with emotion and vigour and is not to be missed.

The Sunni Shia divide remains an open wound and a means by which our enemies meddle in our internal affairs. Since the war on terror, and the horrible sectarianism unleashed on Iraq, this divide has got even bigger and has often led to bloody violence. However, amidst this turmoil, we often hear voices from within the Ummah and beyond, dreaming of unity to confront the misery, humiliation, and suffering of the oppressed, especially in the current situation with Palestine. But it's a difficult topic, there are a host of theological and political concerns and the current tussle between Saudi Arabia and Iran makes any talk of reconciliation or an overlapping consensus politically charged.Dr Suwaidan is a profile writer, speaker, trainer and in many ways has brought much needed intellectual thought to our age.Let me remind all viewers that to help us continue to engage critical thought at this time, Please consider becoming a Patron. https://www.patreon.com/TheThinkingMuslimYou can also support The Thinking Muslim through a one-time donation: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/DonateListen to the audio version of the podcast:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7vXiAjVFnhNI3T9Gkw636aApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-thinking-muslim/id1471798762Sign up to Muhammad Jalal's newsletter: https://jalalayn.substack.comPurchase our Thinking Muslim mug: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com/merch Find us on:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thinking_muslimFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Thinking-Muslim-Podcast-105790781361490Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinkingmuslimpodcast/Telegram: https://t.me/thinkingmuslim Host: https://twitter.com/jalalaynWebsite Archive: https://www.thinkingmuslim.com0:00 – Introduction 1:55 – Iraq: Framing sectarianism 10:00 – Iran's Shia exceptionalism 15:30 – Iran and Shia not the same 16:48 – Why do we need unity? 21:03 – Overlapping consensus? 22:06 – How do we do this? 24:32 – Declaring takfir and abuse of companions31:44 – A major cultural shift? 33:50 – Our enemies using our division Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

WE ARE LIVING in prophetic times. The fact that Iran—ancient Persia—launched an attack on Israel for the first time in history this year is proof. Ali Siadatan (ThinkAgainProductions.com) joins us to discuss Bible prophecy and the unique relationship between Persia and the Jewish people throughout history. Our discussion also touches on the Sunni-Shia divide and the alliances formed based on a common goal of opposing Israel. We discuss the question of how to interpret and understand biblical prophecy in the midst of complex geopolitical dynamics. The conversation explores the patterns and multiple fulfillments of biblical prophecies, focusing on Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38–39. Ali emphasizes that prophecy is not a linear fulfillment but a pattern that repeats throughout history—which is why Iran's turn against Israel is so significant. 

WE ARE LIVING in prophetic times. The fact that Iran—ancient Persia—launched an attack on Israel for the first time in history this year is proof.  Ali Siadatan (ThinkAgainProductions.com) joins us to discuss Bible prophecy and the unique relationship between Persia and the Jewish people throughout history. Our discussion also touches on the Sunni-Shia divide and the alliances formed based on a common goal of opposing Israel.  We discuss the question of how to interpret and understand biblical prophecy in the midst of complex geopolitical dynamics. The conversation explores the patterns and multiple fulfillments of biblical prophecies, focusing on Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38–39. Ali emphasizes that prophecy is not a linear fulfillment but a pattern that repeats throughout history—which is why Iran's turn against Israel is so significant.  Here's the link to the article by Dr. Michael Brown, “The anti-Semitic unraveling of Candace Owens.” Follow us! • X: @viewfrombunker | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/viewfromthebunker Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! The building has HVAC, a new floor, windows, insulation, ceiling fans, and an upgraded electrical system! We're in the process of moving our studios and book/DVD warehouse and shipping office out of our home and across the yard into the Barn. If you are so led, you can help out at www.GilbertHouse.org/donate. —— Download our free app! This brings all of our content directly to your smartphone or tablet. Best of all, we'll never get canceled from our own app! Links to the app stores for iOS, iPadOS, Android, and Amazon Kindle Fire devices are at www.GilbertHouse.org/app. Please join us each Sunday for the Gilbert House Fellowship, our weekly Bible study podcast. Log on to www.GilbertHouse.org for more details. Check out our weekly video program Unraveling Revelation (unravelingrevelation.tv), and subscribe to the YouTube channel: YouTube.com/UnravelingRevelation. —— Special offers on our books and DVDs: www.gilberthouse.org/store. —— JOIN US IN ISRAEL! We return to the Holy Land for another solidarity mission November 6–13, 2024. We'll visit places in the Negev attacked on October 7, 2023, including the site of the Nova Music Festival; Hostage Square in Tel Aviv; and key sites in Jerusalem like the Temple Mount, Mount of Olives, and the historic locations of the Crucifixion and burial tomb of Jesus. For more information, go to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Our 2025 tour features special guests Timothy Alberino, Dr. Judd Burton, and Doug Van Dorn! We will tour the Holy Land March 25–April 3, 2025, with an optional three-day extension in Jordan. For more information, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Discuss these topics at the VFTB Facebook page (facebook.com/viewfromthebunker) and check out the great podcasters at the Fringe Radio Network (Spreaker.com/show/fringe-radio-network)!

WE ARE LIVING in prophetic times. The fact that Iran—ancient Persia—launched an attack on Israel for the first time in history this year is proof.Ali Siadatan (ThinkAgainProductions.com) joins us to discuss Bible prophecy and the unique relationship between Persia and the Jewish people throughout history. Our discussion also touches on the Sunni-Shia divide and the alliances formed based on a common goal of opposing Israel.We discuss the question of how to interpret and understand biblical prophecy in the midst of complex geopolitical dynamics. The conversation explores the patterns and multiple fulfillments of biblical prophecies, focusing on Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38–39. Ali emphasizes that prophecy is not a linear fulfillment but a pattern that repeats throughout history—which is why Iran's turn against Israel is so significant.

In this episode, Ian Parminter discusses the complexities and historical context of the Middle East crisis, including the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. He provides insights into the religious, political, and military factors that contribute to the region's volatility. The conversation covers the impact of foreign interventions, the role of ideology, and the potential consequences of refugee intake in countries like Australia. Key Topics Discussed Parminter's Background: His extensive experience in the Middle East, starting in 1976 with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs. Volatility of the Middle East: Factors such as the Sunni-Shia divide, the establishment of Israel, and the emergence of militant groups like Hezbollah. Israel-Palestine Conflict: Historical context from the 1947 UN partition plan, the wars between Israel and Arab states, and the ongoing issues of Palestinian statehood. Refugee Crisis: The challenges and implications of accepting Palestinian refugees in Australia. Global Political Impact: How the Middle East conflict affects international relations, including U.S. and Australian politics. Potential Iranian Retaliation: Speculation on Iran's response to recent assassinations and the possibility of a regional conflict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barnaby Rogerson joins me to talk about the origins of the Sunni-Shia schism, the differences between them, and the current ethnic and linguistic rivalries plaguing the Middle East.

From September 26, 2015: On this week's Lawfare Podcast, Gregory Johnsen outlines the current state-of-play in Yemen. Johnsen, who is a writer-at-large for Buzzfeed News, a doctoral candidate at Princeton University, and an all-things-Yemen-expert, walks Ben through the byzantine power politics in Sanaa that led to the conflict now engulfing Yemen and he explains why the war shouldn't be viewed as just another Sunni-Shia fight. Yet while he clarifies that the issues that sparked the war are much more local, he warns that the longer the conflict goes on, the more likely it is to expand. Johnsen also outlines the events that led to the Saudi intervention and whether or not Yemen—which he says is really twelve separate factions now—can ever be put back together again.Johnsen is the author of The Last Refuge: Yemen, al Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia. Follow him on Twitter for the latest updates on Yemen.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

George McMillan, Founder and CEO of G3Strat Group, a geopolitical historian and current energy expert, stops by the podcast. This is the second of our podcast series, which talks about the academic scholars and grand strategies taught at the military academies and how the current administration uses these strategies.Our first podcast was a two-hour interview that felt like 5 minutes. The feedback from around the world has been phenomenal, and we started the series to help avoid potential wars.He points out the key steps this current administration is making and ties the published works of experts on YouTube and other public sources. Just as Michael and I have the "Energy Threads" between our stories every day, George can match stories, books, and theories into an excellent analysis of why the current administration has weaponized the US dollar and imposed sanctions around the world.George was also on the ground with Michael Yon, an international war correspondent, researching several stories. In my interview with Michael, they looked at the Chinese military base in Panama that is moving military-aged men from around the world to the open US border. This is all tied to energy, as we are also working on the Chinese connection to our grid and their ability to take it down in the case of a military conflict.Is it incompetence, or is it by design that the world is heading into a potential multi-front war that the US can not win?Thank you George, for your service to our country and geopolitical and energy leadership.Georges's landing page on the Energy News Beat site is HERE: https://energynewsbeat.co/george-mcmillian/Follow George on his LinkedIn HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-mcmillan-5665b015/00:00 - Intro01:54 - U.S. Historical Strategy: Overview of the U.S. strategy of containing Russia and China, rebuilding Western Europe and Japan, and countering communism.06:30 - Energy in Geopolitics: Emphasis on understanding energy in geopolitical realignment, discussing grand strategies, and the role of trade in national power.11:40 - U.S. German Russo-Japanese Connection: Exploring the geopolitical implications of historical connections, highlighting ongoing conflicts and alliances.17:54 - Central Asia Geopolitics: Discussion on the ongoing geopolitical struggle in Central Asia, focusing on natural gas integration and proposing a nine-power center doctrine.21:53 - Silk Road and Belt and Road Initiative: Explaining the original Silk Road's purpose and Belt and Road Initiative's maritime strategy, providing insights into China's energy and geopolitical goals.27:36 - China-India Rivalry: Highlighting historical rivalry, connecting it to the Belt and Road Initiative, and emphasizing the complexity of geopolitical conflicts in neutral zones.31:29 - Understanding Human Behavior: Emphasizing the continuum of human behavior and its impact on political-economic development and geostrategic mercantilist theory.36:04 - Jeffrey Sachs' Peace Plan: Discussing a peace plan based on mutual trade dependency, addressing negative sum sabotage, and highlighting the continuity of conflicts.39:45 - Energy Sources and Geopolitics: Exploring the cost dynamics of energy sources, with a focus on Gazprom's low cost, and underscoring the multifaceted nature of geopolitical and economic discussions.44:37 - Global Currencies and Challenges: Discussing historical shifts in global currencies and potential challenges arising from growing national debt and interest payments.50:18 - Sunni-Shia Geopolitical Dynamics: Delving into Sunni-Shia dynamics, pipeline routes, and connecting it to Wesley Clark's mentioned targets for invasion.54:30 - Pipeline Routes and Middle East: Exploring geopolitical dynamics around pipeline routes, U.S. and U.K. strategies, and recent events in the Middle East.58:39 - Russia's Export-Led Growth: Discussing Russia's export-led growth model, challenges with oligarchs, and connecting factors to geopolitical strategies and conflicts in Eurasia.01:04:35 - Changing Geopolitical Landscape: Examining the changing geopolitical landscape, Russia's integration with China, and rational actor models in global competition.01:09:06 - Geopolitical Importance of Energy Routes: Underscoring the importance of controlling energy routes, especially in the context of Russia's integration with China.01:13:15 - Counter-Strategies and Geopolitical Moves: Emphasizing the need to understand counter-strategies and geopolitical moves in response to U.S. and U.K. strategies.01:17:39 - Outro

I have to tell you that of all the podcasts that Michael Tanner and I have done; it seems like they are getting more critical and covering more ground in the energy market.I had the honor to have George McMillian, CEO of McMillian and Associates, an unbelievable oil and gas, geopolitical, and industry thought leader. Wow, this two-hour podcast seemed like 5 min.Thank you, George, for your commitment to humanity and our country. Any major energy company needs to contact you for your opinions on projects worldwide. You have been everywhere.Reach out and follow George on his LinkedIn HERE: https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-mcmillan-5665b015/Thank you again for your time. And I am excited about our future podcasts - Stu.“Good will win in the long run; till then, it is painful.” – Stu TurleyFull articles, maps, and transcripts will be out on the energynewsbeat.co site.Sit back, get the popcorn, and check out the video on X. HERE: https://x.com/STUARTTURLEY16/status/1730681590479548553?s=2000:00 - Intro02:48 - Investment Potential: Discussion about the potential for investors in the mentioned energy technology and the possibility of obtaining subsidies for base models.07:20 - U.S. Strategy: Outlining the U.S. strategy to hinder Russian influence by obstructing pipelines to Western Europe and Asia, with concerns about shifts in alignment and potential exits from the petrodollar.16:20 - Geopolitical Interconnectedness: Emphasis on understanding global strategies, like Alfred Mahan's sea power theory, and the impact of infrastructure on economic, diplomatic, and military power. Turkey's role in new pipeline developments is highlighted.33:18 - U.S. Strategies based on Mahan: Discussion of U.S. strategies based on Alfred Mahan's theories, including efforts to control key areas and influence elections in Eastern Europe. Energy vulnerabilities of South Korea and Japan are noted.40:29 - China's Silk Road Initiative: Explanation of China's strategy to create overland logistical supply routes, reducing vulnerability to U.S. naval interdiction. The distinction between the Silk Road and Belt and Road initiatives is emphasized.49:25 - India's Strategic Importance: Highlighting India's strategic importance in providing a shorter overland trade route for Russia and China, fostering economic interdependency and technology exchange.54:02 - Hamas Attack: Reporting on a Hamas attack on Israel, designated as a terrorist organization by several countries, prompting an IDF response.01:00:09 - Middle East Dynamics: Discussion of geopolitical dynamics, the Sunni-Shia conflict, and the strategic importance of the Middle East, focusing on funds, oil, and implications of U.S. actions, especially in relation to Iran and Saudi Arabia.01:22:02 - Complex Geopolitical Landscape: Exploration of a complex geopolitical landscape involving economic, energy, and political factors, with a focus on challenges and intersections between secular and religious strategies in the Middle East.01:31:13 - Consultancy Business Plan: George McMillan expresses a desire to form a consultancy business focused on geopolitical risk assessment and analysis for oil and financial companies, emphasizing the lack of understanding about Abrahamic religions and grand strategies in government institutions.01:33:06 - Integrating Disciplines: Emphasis on the importance of integrating disciplines, particularly in economics and geopolitics. Discussion of theoretical model-building and the need to discard outdated theories in favor of a Hume Smith model.01:35:04 - Outro

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/islamic-studies

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/middle-eastern-studies

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/religion

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/asian-review

It was common during the years of the U.S. invasion of Iraq to talk about the Sunni-Shia split—and how the sectarian violence was the result of a “centuries-long hatred” between the two different religious schools. But seeing this divide as the result of a longstanding feud—or to see it in the model of other religious schisms, like the Catholic-Protestant split and the centuries of war that followed—would be a mistake, argues Toby Matthiesen. Toby, in his most recent book The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shiism (Oxford University Press, 2023), tries to chart the history of the Sunni-Shia split: its origins at the very start of Islam's founding, and how different Muslim polities—including those outside of the Arabian core—flitted between tolerance and conflict. In this interview, Toby and I talk about the origins of the division between the Sunni and the Shia, how different regimes throughout history molded and were molded by the split, and what that means for the present day. Toby Matthiesen is Senior Lecturer in Global Religious Studies at the University of Bristol. He is the author of several award-winning books and has previously held fellowships at the Universities of Oxford, Ca' Foscari of Venice, Stanford, Cambridge, and the LSE. You can find more reviews, excerpts, interviews, and essays at The Asian Review of Books, including its review of The Caliph and the Imam. Follow on Twitter at @BookReviewsAsia. Nicholas Gordon is an editor for a global magazine, and a reviewer for the Asian Review of Books. He can be found on Twitter at@nickrigordon.

[Explicit Language] Revelation from Keith Olbermann about the Republican debates and Meet the Press. Jim Jordan fails to win the first round of voting for Speaker. We discuss some of the reasons why -- before the vote actually happened. A possible upside for Democrats if Jim Jordan becomes Speaker. Judge Chutkan issues a gag order against Trump. Trump continues to attack and dox Letitia James. Joe Biden is going to Israel. Trump keeps mispronouncing Hamas. Pro-Hamas accounts on social media are celebrating Trump's attacks on Israel. The false flag conspiracy theories have arrived. The truth about the $6 billion hostage deal with Iran. Ramaswamy annihilated in New Hampshire. With Buzz Burbank, music by Subredlux, Anna-Marie, and more! Buy Debrianna Mansini's and Lisa Lucas's cookbook That Time We Ate Our Feelings (Amazon Promo Link).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: EA is too New & Important to Schism, published by Wil Perkins on February 23, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum. As many of us have seen there has recently been a surge in discourse around people in the community with different views. Many of this underlying tension has only been brought about by large scandals that have broken in the last 6 months or so. I've seen a few people using language which, to me, seems schismatic. Discussing how there are two distinct and incompatible groups within EA, being shocked/hurt/feeling rejected by the movement, etc. I'd like to urge us to try and find reconciliation if possible. Influential Movements avoid Early Schisms If you look through history at any major religious/political/social movements, most of them avoid having early schisms, or if they do, it creates significant issues and tension. It seems optimal to let movements develop loosely over time and become more diverse, before starting to draw hard lines between what "is" a part of the in group and what isn't. For instance, early Christianity had some schisms, but nothing major until the Council of Nicea in 325 A.D. This meant that Christianity could consolidate power/followers for centuries before actively breaking up into different groups. Another parallel is the infamous Sunni-Shia split in Islam, which caused massive amounts of bloodshed and still continues to this day. This schism still echos today, for instance with the civil war in Syria. For a more modern example, look at the New Atheism Movement which in many ways attracted similar people to EA. Relatively early on in the movement, in fact right as the movement gained popular awareness (similar to the moment right now in EA) many prominent folks in New Atheism advocated for New Atheism Plus. This was essentially an attempt to schism the movement along cultural / social justice lines, which quickly eroded the cohesion of the movement and ultimately contributed to its massive decline in relevance. Effective Altruism as a movement is relatively brand new - we can't afford major schisms or we may not continue as a relevant cultural force in 10-20 years. Getting Movement Building Right Matters Something which I think is sometimes lost in community building discussions is that the stakes we're playing for are extremely high. My motivation to join EA was primarily because I saw major problems in the world, and people that were extremely dedicated to solving them. We are playing for the future, for the survival of the human race. We can't afford to let relatively petty squabbles divide us too much! Especially with advances in AGI, I know many people in the movement are more worried than ever that we will experience significant shifts via technology over the coming decades. Some have pointed out the possibility of Value Lock-in, or that as we rapidly increase our power our values may become stagnant, especially if for instance an AGI is controlled by a group with strong, anti-pluralistic values. Overall I hope to advocate for the idea of reconciliation within EA. We should work to disentangle our feelings from the future of the movement, and try to discuss how to have the most impact as we grow. My vote is that having a major schism is one of the worst things we could do for our impact - and is a common failure mode we should strive to avoid. Thanks for listening. To help us out with The Nonlinear Library or to learn more, please visit nonlinear.org.

The Ansari Podcast: Ottoman Empire History Professor Nabil Al Tikriti, breaks down the mind blowing system of the Ottomans enslaving their elites. He narrates extravagant stories of the most Prestigious Ottoman Sultans. And discusses the general history of the Ottoman Empire and how it shaped Islamic thought, philosophy, spirituality and the modern day Sunni - Shia dynamic. 

I see many videos talking about the differences between the Sunni and Shia, but most of them present a simplified version. In this episode, I try to give you a more comprehensive overview. Our GDPR privacy policy was updated on August 8, 2022. Visit acast.com/privacy for more information.

We reveal our bets for the big game that will definitely hit and make us rich, explore the Sunni-Shia schism in Islam, and reflect on Hemingway's enviable lifestyle. Like and subscribe.

The Difference Between Sunni & Shia (For Teenagers) | Q&A | Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi

In this podcast, I am discussing sexual shame and purity culture enforced by religion with Ex-Catholic Susanna of the Atheist Republic! She also discusses how it affected her as a young Catholic and her journey out of faith as well as her activism with the Atheist Republic. Blasphemous Art: https://www.blasphemousart.com/Atheist Republic: https://www.youtube.com/c/AtheistRepublic YouTube version of this podcast: https://youtu.be/RU8ibF5ZPkk Timestamps: 0:00 Introductions1:54 Susanna's connections with the Atheist Republic and her current role at the organization5:04 Susanna's religious background and what made her leave religion10:26 Why was it a good decision for Susanna to go to an all-girls middle school despite her parents not taking her opinion into consideration?15:26 The freedom to make decisions based on facts and logic that comes with being a free thinker19:00 Religious reasoning for gender-based segregation of people and the laws regarding premarital sex.22:48 Sussana's mental health issues and attempted suicide at the age of 15 and how it changed her life26:55 Dealing with some of the remnants of religious beliefs and shame.33:40 The importance of seeking out criticism to improve on critical thinking.34:42 Channel announcements35:26 Responding to comments in the chat - The parallels between Islam and Christianity in regards to the concept of original sin and purity culture.46:19 How do Christians reconcile the concept of original sin and forgiveness upon acceptance of Christ as your savior. The hierarchy of sin51:26 After the Prophet - Epic story of Sunni Shia split by Lesley Hazleton53:03 What drives Susanna's activism? The importance of a support system59:56 The importance of planting seeds of doubts in fundamentalists and equipping them with better critical thinking tools.1:05:15 Improving epistemological tools that we use when thinking about religion. Why there is no God - Armin Navabi1:08:12 Blasphemous art by the Atheist Republic.1:13:40 The Atheist Republic's social media bans and potential blocking of their site in India.1:17:39 The Atheist Republic newsletter1:21:00 Wayward by Alice Greezyn. Content by the Atheist Republic1:23:04 Final remarks. .

Civil war has torn the Caliphate apart. In 656 AD, Aisha marches with an army at her back. Ali, newly crowned as Caliph, has no choice but to oppose her. Muawiya sees an opportunity to grab power and start a dynasty of his own. Hussein begins his inevitable path towards Karbala…and martyrdom. THE CAST: Aisha – The Prophet’s widow. “Mother of the Faithful”. Brave, jealous, and calculating. Muawiya – Governor of Syria “Son of the Liver Eater”. Master politician, ruthless and cunning.  Ali – The Prophet’s son-in-law. “Lion of God”. The Fourth Caliph.  Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith. Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father; The Prophet’s oldest friend. The First Caliph.  Umar – Hothead, bruiser, warlord; The Second Caliph.  Uthman – “He of the Two Lights”; The Third Caliph. Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God.  Fatima – Wife of Ali. Daughter of Muhammed. Mother to Hussein. SOURCES: Humphreys, Steven. Mu’awiya ibn abi Sufyan: The Savior of the Caliphate. 2006. Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. 1996. Kennedy, Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In.  2007. Shah-Kazemi, Reza. Imam ‘Ali: From Concise History to Timeless Mystery. 2019. Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed. 2013. Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. 2009. Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. 2020. Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. 2014. Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide. 2013. Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam.2014. Armstrong, Karen Keishin. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. 2007. Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. 2018. Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed. 2009. Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire. 2012. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Prophet is dead. In 632 AD, the armies of Islam explode out of Arabia, led by a series of aggressive new Caliphs. The Prophet’s young widow Aisha struggles to understand her new role as “Mother of the Faithful”. Meanwhile, Ali, snubbed for the title of Caliph, grapples with his conflicting feelings of bitterness and commitment to the stability of the Muslim community. All the while, an ambitious new rival, Muawiya, schemes and cajoles his way to absolute control over the new Islamic Empire. THE CAST: Aisha – The Prophet’s widow. “Mother of the Faithful”. Brave, jealous, and calculating. Muawiya – Rising star. “Son of the Liver Eater." A master politician, ruthless and cunning.  Ali – The Prophet’s son-in-law. “Lion of God”. The Fourth Caliph.  Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father; The Prophet’s oldest friend. The First Caliph.  Umar – Hothead, bruiser, warlord; The Second Caliph.  Uthman – “He of the Two Lights”; Corrupt and controversial. The Third Caliph. Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God.  Fatima – Wife of Ali. Daughter of Muhammed. Mother to Hussein. Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith. SOURCES: Humphreys, Steven. Mu’awiya ibn abi Sufyan: The Savior of the Caliphate. 2006. Madelung, Wilferd. The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Caliphate. 1996. Kennedy, Hugh. The Great Arab Conquests: How the Spread of Islam Changed the World We Live In.  2007. Shah-Kazemi, Reza. Imam ‘Ali: From Concise History to Timeless Mystery. 2019. Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed. 2013. Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. 2009. Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. 2020. Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire. 2014. Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide. 2013. Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam.2014. Armstrong, Karen Keishin. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. 2007. Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires. 2018. Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed. 2009. Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire. 2012. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode I began to read ‘Misbah-uz-Zulu', ‘Roots of the Kerbala Tragedy'. I explained various honorifics used in Islamic tradition and compared some of the differences in Sunni/Shia practice. This book deserves a Pt2 at some point so hopefully soon! Let me know your thoughts

When the Prophet Muhammed died in 632 AD, it triggered a succession crisis amongst his followers. After the dust settled, two divergent branches of the faith remained – Sunni and Shi’a. It is a deeply misunderstood story that has been unearthed and repackaged in the 21st century to inflame political animus and give superficial labels to complex tensions. In this episode, we will examine the very human, very relatable drama that unfolded against the backdrop of the rise of the Islamic Empire in the 7th century. THE CAST Muhammed – The Prophet. A merchant-turned-messenger from God.  Aisha – The Prophet’s favorite wife; Charming, fiery, and envious.  Ali – The Prophet’s cherished son-in-law. Lion of God. Humble, loyal, and honorable to a fault. Fatima - Daughter of the Prophet and wife to Ali. Abu Bakr – Aisha’s father, Muhammed’s close friend, and first Caliph. Hussein – Grandson of the Prophet. Murdered at Karbala. Martyr of the Shi’a faith. SOURCES: Hazleton, Lesley. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammed.  Hazleton, Lesley. After The Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shi’a-Sunni Split in Islam. Louer, Laurence. Sunnis and Shi’a: A Political History. Hoyland, Robert G. In God’s Path: The Arab Conquests and the Creation of an Islamic Empire.  Betts, Robert Brenton. The Sunni-Shi’a Divide.  Charles Rivers Editors. The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions Within Islam.  Armstrong, Karen Keishin. MuhammedL A Prophet for Our Time.  Cole, Juan. Muhammed: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires.  Safi, Omid. Memories of Muhammed.  Holland, Tom. The Shadow of the Sword: The Birth of Islam and the Rise of the Global Arab Empire.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sunni-Shia divide is a conflict that most people have heard about - two sects with Sunni Islam being in the majority and Shia Islam the minority. Exactly how did this conflict originate and when? We go through 1400 years of history to find the moment this divide first turned deadly and how it has evolved since.

I. Why is there such a strong Sunni/Shia divide? I know the Comparative Religion 101 answer. The early Muslims were debating who was the rightful caliph. Some of them said Abu Bakr, others said Ali, and the dispute has been going on ever since. On the other hand, that was fourteen hundred years ago, both candidates are long dead, and there’s no more caliphate. You’d think maybe they’d let the matter rest. Sure, the two groups have slightly different hadith and schools of jurisprudence, but how many Muslims even know which school of jurisprudence they’re supposed to be following? It seems like a pretty minor thing to have centuries of animus over. And so we return again to Robbers’ Cave:

Kevin Shakil founded America's Islamic Radio - the first Islamic radio station in the United States. He speaks to Nouri, Hasnain and Ali about why he decided to start a radio station during a digital revolution. They also discuss the upcoming US elections and what the fears of American-Muslims are, as  well as Sunni-Shia relations in light of Kevin's decision to include Shia Muslims on his platform.

The Truth Behind the Emergence of Islam - Jay Smith (YouTube, english) YouTube Channel: Real Crusades History (englisch) The Sunni/Shia divide

General preamble of how I stumbled into the first understanding the of the different sects of Islam while preparing a military talk on the Iran Iraq war. MP4 recording     MP3 recording Your browser does not support the audio element.

#Zunaiir #TikTok Beyond Thin Ice - Talking about The Sunni Shia Hate, Shia Misconceptions, and Tik Tok with Zunaiir With Comedian - Host Dawood Tafsir Co-host Jawad Subz

In this conversation between Jane Craigie and her father, Iain Craigie, the discussion centres on Iain's posting to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia between 1979 and 1980. Iain was based there as one of five GCHQ operatives. Their role was to train Saudi Arabia's national guard - mainly Bedouin - on how to set up the country's own intelligence systems. The posting was challenging, because most of the tutees were near illiterate, and the subject matter was highly technical. The time there was volatile and part of their work was to try and intercept transmissions and movements across the 1,100 mile border with Yemen. This longer episode sets the context of the region back to WWI and Lawrence of Arabia, Kemal Ataturk, Gallipoli and the ANZACs. It also touches on the countries and the origins of the Sunni/Shia divisions, as well as the border areas and power in the Middle East.Iain talks of his time living in the country, the Saudi culture and his adventures into the desert with the immensely kind Bedouin and their families of nomadic camel herders.

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Garland Nixon and Lee Stranahan discuss how increasing online censorship is a danger to those on both sides of the political spectrum willing to challenge establishment points of view. How is this trend influencing politics/society, and why should those celebrating the silencing of their opponents think again?Guests:Ian Miles Cheong - Journalist who Covers Media, Politics & Culture | The Media's Obsession with Trying to Silence Anti-Establishment VoicesJim Jatras - Government and Media Relations Specialist | Trump's Foreign Policy Advisors and Escalating Tensions with IranJim Hoft - Founder of TheGatewayPundit.com | Online Censorship, Ukrainian Election Interference & The Focus of Establishment DemocratsCaleb Maupin - Journalist & Political Analyst | Historical Reference for the Current Situation in Venezuela The desire of the elite ruling class to maintain control over political discourse continues to become more evident as online censorship increases towards individuals and platforms who challenge establishment narratives. Journalist and Writer Ian Miles Cheong joins today's show to discuss some of the recent incidents of "deplatforming" on social media, how this trend threatens independent journalism, and Silicon Valley's power and influence with regards to news/politics. Yet again, tensions between the United States and Iran have been ramped up, and the US has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the Middle East. Jim Jatras, a Government and Media Relations Specialist, returns to the program to talk about the current US-Iran dynamic, the nature of Sunni-Shia conflicts in the region, and how Russian or Chinese support for Iran could change the equation for the US and potential military action.While some in the political world celebrate the online censorship of their opponents, this trend has become a slippery slope where almost any dissenting voice could be targeted in the future. Jim Hoft, Founder of TheGatewayPundit.com, joins Garland and Lee to discuss this latest wave of silencing speech on the internet, the largely ignored story of Ukrainian Election Interference, and why many establishment Democrats are focusing on perceived scandals over actual policy proposals.For the final segment, the hosts are joined by Journalist & Political Analyst Caleb Maupin for a conversation about Venezuela and some historical reference for the current situation. What level of support does Venezuelan President Maduro have from both ordinary citizens and the military, how have the Obama and Trump administrations approached Venezuela differently, what are some of the similarities between foreign interventions in Syria and Venezuela, and what role is the international energy market playing with regards to how foreign countries are intervening in Venezuela?

The Sunni-Shia divide is a conflict that most people have heard about - two sects with Sunni Islam being in the majority and Shia Islam the minority. Exactly how did this conflict originate and when? We go through 1400 years of history to find the moment this divide first turned deadly and how it has evolved since.

It's 1300 years old but many misconceptions still exist about the youngest of the old religions. Dr Keith Suter sheds light on the birth of Islam, the Sunni-Shia divide across the Middle East and the similarities between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. If you are experiencing a personal crisis, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait.

In this AMA episode, we talk about engaging with Muslims, Imam Tawhidi, the difference between Sam Harris's and Robert Spencer's approaches to criticizing Islam, the significance of the Arab Spring looking back now, Hindu nationalism, Faith Goldy's mayoral run, Trump's approach to Israel/Palestine, Sunni-Shia differences, and most importantly, whether Armin should reproduce. Watch the video version of this show: https://www.patreon.com/posts/ali-armin-answer-21033897 Listen to this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or your favourite podcast app: http://secularjihadists.com  Here you can find dates and times for all our scheduled live Q&A sessions which includes links to where you can join us live next time and ask your questions: https://www.facebook.com/events/172503603405302/   The Secular Jihadists has been made possible thanks to the gracious support of the Illuminati and the great state of Israel. That's what we have been told, but we haven't received our checks yet. In the meantime, we greatly appreciate the support of our current donors. Please consider supporting by sharing the podcast with your fellow heathens or by donating at https://www.patreon.com/SJME  Subscribe to The Secular Jihadists on iTunes, Stitcher or your favorite podcast app. And please leave us a review 

Michael Ledeen (@michaelledeen) is a historian, longtime think-tanker currently serving as the Freedom Scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, former Special Advisor to the Secretary of State and consultant to the National Security Council during the Reagan administration and author of 38 books. Perhaps most pertinent to today, Ledeen is an expert on Iran, with deep ties to dissidents and countless individuals in the diaspora cultivated over many decades, dating back to the fall of the Shah and the Revolution of 1979. I had Ledeen on the Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten podcast to discuss a variety of topics including his views on how long the current Khomeinist regime will survive, what America might do to help topple it, the phony Sunni-Shia split, the nature of Iran's dissidents, what happens the day after the regime falls and more. Tangentially related, Ledeen and I also discussed the targeting of those who challenge the national security and foreign policy establishment, including regarding both Iran and Israel, and the sackings of Larry Franklin and Gen. Michael Flynn -- the latter of whom with which Micheal co-authored a book, The Field of Fight. Ledeen shares his take on Gen. Flynn's guilty plea -- which he believes was given falsely -- and explains why he believes Gen. Flynn was targeted in the first place. What We Discussed The false narrative about alternatives for Iran being either appeasement or war The impending collapse of the Khomeinist regime and what the U.S. can do to accelerate it The history of U.S. intelligence failures in Iran How secular and liberal Iran's dissidents actually are Whether there is a wedge that can be exploited between Iran and Russia What will become of Hezbollah if the Iranian regime collapses The allegedly political witch hunt against Iran hawk and Israel supporter Larry Franklin as an illustration of historic anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism in the foreign policy and national security establishment Ledeen's theory that Gen. Michael Flynn falsely pled guilty, and the real reason why Gen. Flynn was targeted in the first place Further Reading Show Notes & Transcript Thanks for Listening! Check out other episodes, show notes and transcripts at benweingarten.com/bigideas. Subscribe, rate and review: iTunes | Stitcher | Google | YouTube Follow Ben: Web | Newsletter | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn Advertising & Sponsorship Inquiries: E-mail us. ___________ Backed Vibes (clean) Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoltan Pall‘s Salafism in Lebanon: Local and Transnational Movements (Cambridge University Press, 2018), a just published ethnographic investigation of the rise of Salafism among Lebanese Sunni Muslims is far more than a study of an ultra-conservative community in a country that is a patchwork of religious communities. Pall’s book is an examination of what fuels the rise of Sunni Muslim ultra-conservatism, its role in the larger Sunni-Shia divide in the Middle East that is in part driven by the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and the inner workings of the funding of Salafism by charities in the Gulf that often serve the interests of governments in countries like Qatar and Kuwait. In doing so, Zoltan has made a significant contribution to academic, political and public debate about a phenomenon that governments, civil society and academia are still trying to wrap their head around. James M. Dorsey is a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tensions between Islam's two main religious sects—Sunni and Shia—are spiraling out of control and threaten to redraw the map of the Middle East. At the epicenter of the divide are the predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran, who are considered to be fueling today's conflicts through proxy militias in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon. Sectarian tensions have further provided a fertile ground for terrorist networks such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda to flourish and spread. How is the Sunni-Shia divide driving proxy wars, fostering terrorist networks, and expanding the humanitarian crisis in the region? Are religious differences in the Middle East being politicized in a fight for regional hegemony? Can the region break the cycles of sectarian violence that shaped its history?

When will anyone on the Right give a vision for strategic interests in the Middle East?  In this episode, we focus on our backwards policies in the Middle East by prioritizing urban renewal in untenable Islamic tribal wars while ignoring the real national security threats that confront our homeland. What is going on in Syria with the endless Sunni-Shia fighting is a reflection of the population, and there is nothing we can do to fix the situation. Why is nobody focusing on the chemical warfare on our own border being launched against our people in the form of fentanyl?  Using analogies of gang violence (and sports!), we demonstrate the foolishness of the false dichotomies presented to us on foreign policy and military intervention. We also discuss the foolish GOP effort to distract from its spending binge with a ceremonial balanced budget amendment this week. Also, CBO just came out with a budget report. It’s now clear that interest payments on the debt will surpass military spending in just five years.  Show notes Our border is a better place for the military than Syria The stupidity of the GOP and balanced budget   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can we understand the rise of sectarianism in the Middle East today, to what extent is it linked to religion, if at all, and why has it proven so effective for mobilization in wars and conflicts in the region? Sectarian identity politics is on the rise in the Middle East. The power rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia has intensified sectarian dynamics in several hot spots across the region, just as the break down of state structures and the resurgence of authoritarian rule have led local communities to a fallback on sectarian identities and intensified dynamics of sectarian Othering. In Syria, the Assad regime has from the uprising's very beginning installed fears with minority groups of Sunni extremism, and today the war is being led by militias and regional powers, who predominantly are grouped along sectarian lines. Similarly on social media platforms and Arab satellite stations, sectarian agitation are rampant, and even in states such as Jordan or Egypt, where Shias are effectively non-existent, anti-Shia rhetoric has gained a new foothold. Helle Malmvig, Senior Researcher focusing on regional policy in the Middle East at DIIS, focused her talk on how we may understand sectarianism in the Middle East theoretically and empirically, focusing in particular on the case of Hizbullah and its war in Syria. Commentators: Lars Erslev Andersen, Associated Researcher, UI, Senior Researcher, DIIS. Emin Poljarevic, Associate Professor, Sociology of Religion, Uppsala University. The seminar was moderated by Bitte Hammargren, Head of UI's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Iran has won, for now. One can use different terms to assuage the affliction, apply various expressions to disguise the truth, or employ softer words to fabricate an alternative reality. The fact remains that since 9/11 2001, Iran has been feeding off the colossal foreign policy mistakes of successive US administrations, including the present one. From the invasion of Afghanistan to that of Iraq, and from the Iran Nuclear Agreement to the hands-off approach in the Syrian civil war, right down to the muted encouragement of Iran's internal opposition. How can it be that a nation that has been a superpower since World War II, the effective leader of the Western Alliance, the home to numerous think tanks, universities and research centers, a government with top intelligence-gathering agencies and networks, got it so wrong and still is not getting it at all? There could be few explanations that we will entertain in our attempt to elucidate this riddle. One of them is that the US was blindsided by its quest to eradicate Al Qaeda and later ISIS to concentrate on Iran. Afghanistan was a daring endeavor, Iraq a massive invasion, and many battles in-between have all but consumed the attention and focus of the US polity and military to attend to Iranian-sponsored terrorism. A plausible explanation, except that the US has had enmity with the Iranian regime since 1978, which precedes 9/11 by 23 years. Every US administration, since Carter has had its run-ins with the Mullahs. The exception was Obama who kowtowed to them in an effort to appear more balanced in the grand Sunni-Shia divide and the Muslim world at large. Hoping to win some goodwill, erase America's ‘ugly past' and vindicate an undeserved Nobel Peace Prize, Obama handed the Middle East to Iran -not on a silver tray only but with planeloads of cash. Blaming it all on the Obama administration is not only fair but well deserved, however, the seeds of the Iranian bloom were planted by Georges W. Bush and the miscalculations of his neocon acolytes, especially in the Iraq war. They were obsessed with Saddam and the elusive Chemical Weapons and relied on local charlatans such as Ahmad Chalabi and his gang to guide them through the Iraqi swampland. Every move and action taken by the interim US authority from the dismissal of the Iraqi Armed Forces, to the witch-hunting of former Baathist members, to the utter neglect of Iranian influence over political parties led to Iran's hegemony over Iraq. Lebanon had fell under Iranian influence right in the aftermath of the war with Israel in 2006. Having been accused of the murder of PM Rafic Hariri, both the Syrian regime and Iranian proxies had retreated and retrenched in 2005. Provoking a military clash with Israel was a perfect excuse for claiming back the mantra of ‘Resistance' and reasserting political influence through the barrel of a gun, as preached by Mao Tse Tung. Following such devastating war which left Lebanon in tatters and Israel intact in its borders, economy and armed capacities, Iran concentrated on consolidating its power and influence over the weakened and failed State of Lebanon. Fast forward, with the election of President Michel Aoun in 2016, that takeover is complete. Any minority dissent is being muzzled as the political establishment, all religions confounded, has been effortlessly domesticated. In Syria, what started as an aid to the Assad regime in 2011, ended-up at present as a forward base for Iran right-smack on the Eastern Mediterranean. The presence of some 80,000 fighters that swore allegiance to Iran is reported with a degree of certitude as are numerous ground and air bases scattered all over the Syrian landscape. From such bases Iran can project its influence and connect its forces -by land- from Terran to the Golan heights or South Lebanon, unhinged, unchallenged and undeterred. Simply put, Iran is the new hegemon of the Middle East without contest. The prelude of an Iran-Israel war is on the horizon...

Palestine is no more the central issue of the Middle East, it remains an important one though. For the GCC, Iran is the real threat, whilst Israel takes second place. For Turkey, under the heavy-handed rule of President Erdogan, secularism and the Kurds are the main challenges. For Iran, its dominant role in the region and its aching need to be perceived by all powers, chief among them the US, as the only regional power capable of delivering stability is the main mission, and the one to ensure continuity of the Mullahs' regime. For Iraq getting back on track, eradicating corruption, patching sectarian divisions, and pumping oil at pre-war levels are key to its survival. For Algeria, finding a balance between a decaying military junta and the needs of a younger population that demands a greater role in this energy-rich country will be cause for headaches for years to come. For Egypt, regaining normalcy, whatever that term means in the local context, will keep the Generals up at night, the pens of government-paid journalists flowing, and the terrorists busy in the foreseeable future. Syria's fate is being decided in Sochi, Geneva and some other less known venues where larger powers are dividing up the spoils of a terrible conflict. Ah, and there is tiny Lebanon! That country sandwiched between Syria and Israel and shackled by a mountain of debt, hounded by a kleptocratic ruling class, and weakened by years of religious wars. In this part of the world, the Cold War is terribly missed. Long gone are the days when the former USSR commanded a camp and the US protected another. The ideological divide of the Cold War took precedent over the nationalistic and religious fault lines that prevail at the present time. Socialism was in fashion in Cairo, Bagdad, Damascus and Tripoli not ISIS, or the Sunni-Shia divide, or the hegemonic ambitions of less relevant regional powers such as Iran and Turkey. Capitalism thrived in Tunis, Beirut and other capitals that saw a rapprochement with the West (now an outdated political terminology) as a means to join the modern world and improve the prospects of their nations. A precursor to joining the globalization process, one could imagine. However, despite the harsh demarcation lines between regional countries, the so-called super powers maintained a modicum of calm and stability and ensured that red lines were seldom crossed. Surely, there were the Arab-Israeli wars, hardly a walk in the park or a sign of tranquility. Still said wars had referees: the US and the former USSR who could be counted on to calm nerves, enforce cease fires and even bring protagonists back from the front lines and into the UN to air their grievances. Demarcation lines were drawn up, demilitarized zones were established, and a cautious quiet was reinstated. Granted, the school yard was never trouble-free, but the headmasters aka super powers, were not too far from the skirmishes, ready to step-in and save the day. They needed their client nations to remain whole, to avoid disintegration, to steer away from internal strife, to keep religious discourse at a minimum, and to heed their authority when required. With the fall of the Berlin wall and the receding role of the former USSR, compounded by the fumbling years of the Bush and Obama administrations, the children –so to speak- took charge of the school, and all hell broke loose. Bullies namely, Iran and Turkey pretended to be legitimate heirs  of the former powers. Terror groups spread their poisonous rhetoric claiming it would bring believers onto the promised land (literally and figuratively). Peaceful and resource-rich countries sought alliances wherever they could find them and, more often than usual, were saddled with disappointing outcomes. All told, the puzzle was tossed on the ground shattering its tiny and fragile pieces all over the floor. In ancient history, the Battle of Carthage was a siege that ended in the spring of 146 BC with the sack and complete destru...

Prophecy expert Joel Richardson, author of Mideast Beast and Mystery Babylon, analyzes the looming clash between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Recent political moves by Saudi Arabia in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories are clear evidence of a Sunni-Shia proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Middle East expert Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis (US Army-Ret.), author of Never Submit and The Deeper State, breaks it down. 

In this weeks episode, the boys once again delve into a discussion of gun violence (Sutherland Shooting), the entertainment industry and the fall of Kevin Spacey, a Thor Ragnarok review, and finally a deep dive into the Sunni/Shia split. Why is Islamic history so darn confusing? Get ready for one of the heaviest shows to date. ("Royalty Free Music from Bensound")

Children describing the sounds that bombs make as they fall. Streets covered with rotting garbage. Doctors and nurses who have gone months without pay, at hospitals struggling to care for an influx of cholera patients and malnourished infants. In Yemen, two-plus years of airstrikes by a coalition being led by Saudi Arabia and receiving weapons and tactical assistance from the United States, have led to what the United Nations has called the “largest humanitarian crisis” in the world. FRONTLINE filmmaker Martin Smith and his team witnessed chaos on a rare trip inside the country, a peek inside a largely invisible war. Few foreign journalists are given permission to enter Yemen. “People are not seeing what’s going on. We’re talking thousands of civilian dead,” said Smith. This story is from correspondent Martin Smith. Michelle Mizner and Sara Obeidat produced this story originally as a short film. They, along with Sophie McKibben, adapted the film for the podcast. Scott Anger recorded the sound in Yemen. The reporting for this story was done as part of an upcoming FRONTLINE special on the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Airing in 2018, the documentary will trace the roots of the Sunni-Shia divide, and explore how a proxy war between the two countries is devastating the Middle East. For more in-depth reporting on the crisis in Yemen – visit pbs.org/frontline.

Kate Bateman is a Visiting Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow.  Bateman was the lead author on a report for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, identifying lessons learned from the U.S. experience with corruption in Afghanistan.  Bateman has served in policy and intelligence positions at the State Department in Washington, and at embassies in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.  She also worked in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, and was a Boren Fellow in India studying Sunni-Shia relations.

In 2015, a lone terrorist from an affiliate of Daesh or Islamic State (often referred to as ISIS) bombed a mosque in Kuwait City where the majority of where the majority of worshippers were from the Shia sect. While the overt motive for this act of terrorism was payback for Kuwait's opposition to Daesh, the attack introduced sectarian violence to a country where the Sunni majority and the rather large Shia minority co-existed in relative harmony. In the wake of the mosque bombing incident, the Kuwaiti government passed several anti-terrorism laws. But some observers like Human Rights Watch claim the laws are designed to suppress political dissent. So how effective are these laws at reducing the risk of terrorist attacks in Kuwait? Are such laws the way to maintaining social harmony in a multicultural, or at least, a bi-sectarian population? Dr Kylie Baxter, a specialist in middle-east and Islamic politics from Asia Institute at the University of Melbourne, answers the above and other questions about the fallout from the Arab Spring. Transcript available here. More information about this and other episodes of this podcast series is found here.An Asia Institute podcast, produced by Profactual.com.

Pastor Reza Safa discusses the recent chemical attack in Syria and describes the Sunni/Shia relations in the Middle East.

This Seekers Hub Study Circle will give you a deeper understanding of the centrality of love and mercy within Islam. Loneliness and isolation, Imam Zaid Shakir argues, have no place in an ummah of compassion and mercy. He also addresses Sunni-Shia aggression and hatred, which he describes as a disease we must fight. Students will ... Read more

Lebanon's newly elected President has made, when speaking to an Egyptian TV channel last week, the most explicit statements in support of Hezbollah as a surrogate army of Lebanon. The President, being the supreme commander of the armed forces, said that Lebanon's army was weak and not ready to confront the threats posed (ISIS and Israel). Thus, Hezbollah has been officially anointed as the parallel army of the country as is already the case with the Revolutionary Guards in Iran and the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq. Such statements from Gen. Aoun, a President in his first 100 days in office, were not surprising one bit. Gen. Aoun has entered into a protocol with Hezbollah in 2006, pursuant to which he would give Hezbollah political cover and Hezbollah would provide him with political muscle. The cover that Hezbollah needed was against the 14th of March movement, a coalition of Christian and Muslim leaders opposed to the “Axis of Evil” represented by Iran and Syria. That movement was aligned with the more moderate Arab countries, and, by definition, closer to the US and EU. By having Gen. Aoun –a Christian Maronite- as an ally, Hezbollah has optically deflected the attention from a fierce Sunni-Shia rivalry, without relenting the pressure. In exchange, Gen. Aoun received all the support he could dream of from his newly found ally. Votes in the parliamentary elections that occurred in mixed districts (where Shia voters hold sway), ministerial posts, and the boycott of the presidential elections. The electoral boycott went on for more than two years till Gen. Aoun, as a sole candidate, was accepted albeit coercively, by all other components of Lebanon's political establishment. As noted earlier, trading favors between allies (irrespective of the rhyme or reason for such an alliance) is a natural course of action. What was surprising in the aftermath of the fiery statements of the President of the Republic –in which he praised a mono-religious paramilitary group and demeaned the country's multi-religious army- was the silence of the lambs. Almost all of the political leaders of the former 14th of March movement, their baritones and even their allied media outlets went mum, and still are basking in a gaze of speechless stupor. For more than a decade said politicians made it their chief business to proclaim the sovereignty of the country, above all else, and the monopoly of force in the hands of the government, at the exclusion of all. The price paid by the March 14 Movement was steep. The assassinations of PM Hariri, of Minister Fleihan, of MP, Minister and Christian leader Pierre Gemayel, of MP and journalist Gibran Tueini, of journalist Samir Kassir, and the list is long and bloodied. But what a difference a 100 days make. At present, the politicos of such a defunct movement are in government, secured in cushy positions and assured of seats at the upcoming parliamentary elections, whilst the government concocts a law that is based on super-gerrymandering. The manipulation of political boundaries of districts and provinces in Lebanon is ongoing, publicly, unashamedly and in a manner where parties are confident of the upcoming results. Apart from ‘political bribes' the politicos of the erstwhile nationalist movement have also been –allegedly- basking in the spoils of the public coffers including, but not limited to, the division of proceeds from future gas revenues, after the government hastily enacted decrees for gas exploration. What would a politician ask for more? Government positions, parliamentary seats, and financial rewards (they hate the word bribe or graft), whilst only giving in exchange national sovereignty, personal integrity and political consistency. Whether Iran or Syria or Hezbollah take over the defenses of Lebanon, what could a mere politician do, except to clap and walk away from his or her responsibilities and let the devil take the hind most. Voltaire once said: “Politics is a means for unscrupulo...

Listen to Cockburn discuss his latest book 'The Age of Jihad' (Verso) with 'Guardian' journalist Rachel Shabi, author of 'Not the Enemy: Israel's Jews from Arab Lands'. Award-winning journalist Patrick Cockburn’s chronicles of the collapse of Syria/Iraq and the devastating role of the West have become essential reading for anyone interested in the dominant conflict of our time – the Sunni-Shia war – and in the birth of ISIS. So prescient have his analyses of the region been that last year the judges of the British Journalism Awards advised the UK government to ‘consider pensioning off the whole of MI6 and hiring Patrick Cockburn instead.’ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

"And then they came for me." -Sabri Benkahla When it comes to the conversation of Islam in America, it can sometimes feel like having a debate where both parties talk over one another, dive into the shallow end of the topic and leave thinking they’ve proved their points—trophies for all. This self-perpetuating social filter bubble of sorts absolves accountability and fogs up facts—it clouds up the reality of what many Muslim communities in America have actually gone through and are going through. No place has had it worse than Dar Al-Hijrah, a northern Virginia mosque that sits right outside the nation’s capital. First there was peace. Then there was 9/11. And then there was terror. This is the story of how one mosque and its community has spent the past 15 years at the intersection of faith, terrorism and liberty. Show Notes: [02:25] Fort Hood shooting coverage (ABC News) [02:30] Explosions at the Boston Marathon (The Boston Globe) [02:30] Boston Marathon bombing coverage (WBZ TV) [02:40] Chattanooga shooting coverage (CBS News) [02:50] San Bernadino shooting coverage (NBC News) [03:00] Orlando shooting coverage (ABC News) [03:05] St. Cloud stabbing coverage (WCCO TV) [03:10] Chelsea explosion coverage (Fox News) [03:25] Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump speech in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (CSPAN) [04:00] "Tum Ekh Ghorak Dhanda Ho" by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan [06:45] Richard Bulliet, Professor at Columbia University [07:10] "Bouncing" by Blue Dot Sessions [07:35] Light reading on the Qu’ran [07:40] Light reading on the Hadith (ICRAA.org) [07:55] Additional reading on the Sunni-Shia divide (NPR) [08:00] Light reading on Abu Bakr, the first Caliph [08:10] Light reading on Ali, the Prophet Muhammad’s cousin [09:35] "Janitor" by Blue Dot Sessions [10:00] The spread of Sufism (Oxford Islamic Studies) [14:10] "Horizontal Glow" by Blue Dot Sessions [15:45] More on Dr. Esam Omeish (NPR) [17:35] "Lowbrow" by Blue Dot Sessions [19:10] More on Imam Johari Abdul Malik (The Washington Post) [20:20] Light reading on Hamas [20:30] "American Accused in a Plot to Assassinate Bush" (The New York Times) [20:35] Light reading on the Virginia Jihad Network (The Washington Post) [21:35] More on Michael German, Former FBI Agent [21:45] "Circuitry" by Blue Dot Sessions [22:41] Light reading on the Phoenix Memo and the Moussaoui Investigation (The Washington Post) [23:40] President Bush signing the PATRIOT Act into law (CSPAN) [24:20] "Unfolding Plot" by Blue Dot Sessions [26:45] FBI’s biased counterterrorism training (Wired.com) [27:45] "Pacing" by Blue Dot Sessions [33:05] Light reading on Lakshar-e-Taiba [33:40] "Repsite" by Blue Dot Sessions [34:00] More on Benkhala’s court recap (Leagle.com) [34:40] "Flaked Paint" by Blue Dot Sessions [36:50] Article on Benkahla’s sentencing (Associated Press) [38:45] "Missing Transistor" by Blue Dot Sessions [40:35] Dr. Omeish’s resignation from Immigration panel discussed on Fox News [41:05] Shaker Elsayed, the Attorney’s office of the Eastern District of Virginia and George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security declined to be interviewed for this story. Representative Peter King’s office never responded back. [41:40] Light reading on Shaker Elsayed [41:55] Shaker statement’s brought up on Fox News [42:30] Shaker on CSPAN shortly after 9/11 [43:20] "Masonry" by Blue Dot Sessions [45:40] "Lubber" by Blue Dot Sessions [46:00] President Obama on Awlaki’s death (Associated Press) [47:10] Recommended reading: New York Times reporter Scott Shane looks into the life of Anwar al-Awlaki [49:50] Related fact check on number of those killed by terrorist attacks (Politfact) [50:25] "Lull" by Blue Dot Sessions [52:30] Related: “The Confused Person’s Guide to the Middle East” (The Atlantic) [53:40] "Slimm" by Blue Dot Sessions [55:10] "Horizontal Glow" by Blue Dot Sessions [57:00] "Disinter" by Blue Dot Sessions [59:57] Light reading on the people at Badr 56. More at thisissomenoise.com

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2016/08/12/fergu

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/2016/08/12/fergus

Turkey under attack; Afghan Ramadan; singing Ghazals; Sunni Shia families; Tbilisi zoo Image credit: Getty Images

Are international conflicts creating tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims in the UK? Shabnam Mahmood reports from both Sunni and Shia communities and reveals how divisive messages from the Middle East are fuelling intolerance here. Organisations which monitor hate crimes say sectarian violence, while low level, is increasing. One Shia man tells the programme: "It is now becoming quite dangerous. It is an attack on me as a Shia that really scares me." Mahmood reports from one of an increasing number of unity events being staged across the country to foster good relations. A Sunni imam tells her: "These are dangerous times and the religious leadership need to be seen to be doing things to bring communities together." So can such work prevent tensions escalating in the face of the sectarian propaganda that's increasingly available online and on satellite television channels? Producer: Sally Chesworth.

Some thoughts on the subject of Shia, Sunnis, Salafis, Ash`ari’s and sectarianism as whole. May Allah help us bring unity back in the Ummah.

On this week’s Lawfare Podcast, Gregory Johnsen outlines the state-of-play currently in Yemen. Johnsen, who is a writer-at-large for Buzzfeed News, a doctoral candidate at Princeton University, and an all-things-Yemen-expert, walks Ben through the byzantine power politics in Sanaa that led to the conflict now engulfing Yemen and he explains why the war shouldn’t be viewed as just another Sunni-Shia fight. Yet while he clarifies that the issues that sparked the war are much more local, he warns that the longer the conflict goes on, the more likely it is to expand. Johnsen also outlines the events that led to the Saudi intervention and just whether or not Yemen, which he says is really twelve separate countries now, can ever be put back together again.   Johnsen is the author of The Last Refuge: Yemen, al Qaeda, and America’s War in Arabia. Follow him on Twitter for the latest updates on Yemen.  

The US has begun bombing Iraq and Syria in the name of fighting the self-declared Islamic State. But is the real goal targeting the ISIL?  Excerpt from October 8, 2014 US Department of State Daily Press Briefing: Jennifer Psaki (US Department of State Spokesperson): Our objectives here are going after the threat of ISIL, the safe havens where ISIL has in Syria. There will be other towns and cities that we know will be threatened in Syria, but we have to focus on our strategic components here, which are command and control centers, which are oil refineries, which are other pieces where we've done our precision strikes over the past several weeks. QUESTION: So saving people – saving innocent lives from this – from ISIL, which you've called barbaric and evil and everything else under the sun, is not as – is just not a priority? Psaki: Absolutely not. More than a decade after the US and its coalition allies promoted and pursued a military campaign in Iraq, a new campaign is being launched. This time, the rationale (excuse) is not weapons of mass destruction. The casus belli in this case is the need to control and contain the threat posed by a group dubbed the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Formerly known as al-Qaeda in Iraq, the profile of the militants has increased over the past several months in the wake of their conquest of strategic territory within a broad swath of Iraq and Syria. Most notably, the group's reputation for barbarism has been underscored by a number ofhigh profile beheadings, in recent months. While this broadcast was aired, the Kurdish city of Kobani on the Turkish-Syria border is at risk of falling before the repressive ISIL insurgents. While the need to respond to the threat posed by the Islamic State is understandable, at least two questions need to be addressed as Western leaders agitate for military aggression in the region. 1) Is the US bombing campaign currently underway effectively eroding the Islamic State militants' ability to threaten civilians in the region and abroad? 2) Given the US is no stranger to evoking phony pre-texts for war, is the need “to eliminate the terrorist group ISIL and the threat they pose to Iraq, the region and the wider international community,” the true reason for Operation Inherent Resolve, as it's now being called? This week's Global Research News Hour centres on the US coalition's current military mobilization against the entity known as ISIL/ISIS, the likely objectives and propsects for success with two geo-political analysts. Lawrence Wilkerson is a Visiting Professor of Government and Public Policy at The College of William and Mary in Virginia. He formerly served as Chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Global Research News Hour contributor Jon Wilson interviewed the US Army Veteran following a speech he gave at the University of Winnipeg on ISIS and the Middle East. Wilkerson attempts to explain the US strategy, his contention of it being fueled by a Sunni-Shia split within Iraq, and his prescription for the prospects for success.  Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya is an award-winning author, geopolitical analyst, sociologist, and frequent contributor to Global Research. His view is that the operation against the so-called Islamic State is largely a smokescreen and puts forward his thesis that a larger regional power grab is the ultimate goal for the US.  Nazemroaya will be holding workshops at the World Peace Forum Society's 7th Annual Teach-In, Oct. 25, 2014, at the Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings, Vancouver. For more details, please visit www.peaceforumteachin.org.   Julie Lévesque is an independent Journalist and Associate Editor at Global Research focussing on the complex dynamics of this new offensive. For further details, see the following GR articles recommended by Julie Lévesque  “Greater Israel”: The Zionist Plan for the Middle East Preparing the Chessboard for the “Clash of Civilizations”: Divide, Conquer and Rule the “New Middle East” “We're going to take out 7 countries in 5 years: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan & Iran..” ISIS to the Rescue: America's Terrorists Threaten War with Russia Amid NATO's Failures in Ukraine Former French Foreign Minister: The War against Syria was Planned Two years before “The Arab Spring” SYRIA: CIA-MI6 Intel Ops and Sabotage  NATO and Turkey Support Armed Rebels in Syria. Campaign to Recruit Muslim “Freedom Fighters” Syria: ISIS Rebels, Assisted by Israel, Jordan and the U.S., Detain UN Peacekeepers in Israeli-Occupied Golan Heights | Global Research Corrections: Israel Shahak is the translator of “The Zionist Plan for the Middle East” and not the author;  Ariel Sharon in 1982 was Israel's Defence Minister. He became Prime Minister in 2001.

Sohbet at Dergah al-Farah / visiting students from Denmark / the ceremony of remembrance / Sufi vs. Sunni-Shia / asceticism / middle way The post Sohbet – April 10, 2014 appeared first on The Sufi Lodge.

Toby Jones, a Prof. at Rutgers University specializing in Middle East history, tells Paul Jay the Saudis are committed to victory in their rivalry with Iran and use money and sectarian ideology to achieve their geo-political interests. This is an episode of Reality Asserts Itself, produced January 15, 2015.

Sectarian Politics in the Gulf: From the Iraq War to the Arab Uprising Frederic Wehrey, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Middle East Program The spillover of Syria's war into Lebanon and Iraq, combined with the widening involvement of Iran and Saudi Arabia, has spawned dire predictions of sectarian conflict engulfing the entire Middle East. But Shi'a-Sunni tensions are only one layer of a multi-dimensional conflict, often masking deeper political and economic dynamics. And although the Saudi-Iranian rivalry plays a role in aggravating Shi'a-Sunni identities, the real roots of sectarianism are found at the local level—in the weakness of political institutions, economic disparities, and in the elite manipulation of Sunni-Shia differences. Nowhere is this more evident than in the three Gulf Arab states most affected by sectarianism: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

Yale University's Program in Ethics, Politics and Economics is pleased to announce that Joost Hiltermann, Chief Operating Officer at International Crisis Group, delivers this year's Robert H. Litowitz Lecture in Ethics and Public Policy. In his lecture, Mr. Hiltermann will ask what can be done to stem an apparent sectarian tide sweeping the Middle East in the wake of recent upheavals, from the 2003 US invasion of Iraq to the 2011 Arab awakening.

The rebellion against Syria's al-Assad regime have aroused hostilities between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. What are the consequences for the US and the rest of the Mideast.