Middle East crises : inextricable from each other

The double standard that has resulted from the US compromising international legality because of its relations with Israel is a major cause of the regional hostility toward America.

To understand the different conflicts in the Middle East, it is important to understand their growing interrelation. This interrelation is growing to an extent that it is becoming nearly impossible to understand one conflict in isolation. Similarly, solving one requires dealing with the others.

More and more problems and conflicts are afflicting the region. The oldest and most important is the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, characterized by the Israeli occupation of the West Bank including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. After that comes the American occupation of Iraq and the resulting violence that is partly about resisting that occupation and partly about civil strife.

Third is the recent war in Lebanon that is threatening a possible renewal of internal confrontations. Fourth are the growing tensions between Iran, the US and Israel, tensions that could spill over into war. Finally, across the region is the friction created by a desire for democratization and fear of the growing power of political Islam. Read more