Daniel Little
(RIEAS Senior Advisor)
Copyright: www.rieas.gr
In order to understand the world around us, we create storylines, even metaphors to explain what is occurring around us. With the unrest in Syria, the threat posed by a nuclear Iran, even terrorism against Israel is part of a larger story that continues to unfold in front of us. I contend that the story we thought we knew is different than what is emerging. Part of its origin dates far back in history. While the historical schism between Sunni and Shia has its roots in 10 October, 680,1the iteration now developing is unique with the implications leading towards World War if left unchecked. To be clear, this is not to say that World War is inevitable. Instead it is a precise sequencing of events that makes this a possibility if not examined and anticipated in advance. Such fractious reactions and consequences are not without precedence in history. Had an Austrian Archduke not boarded a carriage in Sarajevo in 1914, there might still be monarchies in Germany and Russia not to mention an empire in Istanbul. Like the effect of Versailles on the world politics that followed, the sequencing of dramatic actions can cause ripple effects that emanate for generations...... Read more