[Marxism] Egyptian Complicity Exposes Deep Fear of Iran

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

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The ability of Hezbollah to draw tens of thousands of demonstrators to the  
streets of Arab capitals, including Cairo, speaks more of Egypt's misconstrued  
fears than Hezbollah's popularity. The fear of Iran is partly motivated by  
sectarianism, but mostly by political survival. The US and Israel have 
succeeded  in the past eight years in creating an atmosphere of paranoia in 
Egypt, 
Saudi  Arabia and Jordan, portraying Iran as an evil existential threat akin to 
the red  Russian bear. 
Indeed, Iran's Shia proselytising has triggered a sense of urgency among  
Sunni Arab leaders, particularly in Saudi Arabia where strict Sunni doctrine  
(Wahhabism) is the norm and a strong self-belief as the custodian of the 
Islamic  
faith exists. The Sunni Arab leaders would have you believe that Iran's rise  
poses a threat to 1400 years of Sunni domination in the Islamic world, and  
therefore demands greater attention than the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. 
Such rhetoric is designed for public consumption, whilst concealing the real  
fear held in the three Arab capitals. Iran is not simply the 'Vatican for  
Shi'ites', but has actively sought to hijack the Palestinian cause from the 
Arab 
 world. After decades of squabbling, rivalry and inaction among Arab states, 
the  Iranians have barged through the gates, swept all aside, and have boldly  
declared the Palestinian cause under new management. 
The Arab street - equally frustrated at watching Israel and the US strangle  
their world whilst their governments play to the tune - were impressed. 
Finally,  after a long sense of helplessness, someone was coming to the aid of 
the 
Arabs.  Iran didn't simply engage in empty rhetoric, as most Arab states did, 
but poured  its energy into a deep conviction to combat Israeli reign in the 
Middle  East. 
It built the successful Hezbollah whilst Lebanon was on its knees in the  
1980s. It offered Syria support when the US was bent on toppling the Assad  
regime. It threw its weight in Iraq to thwart American rule. And, most 
crucially  
given recent days, it gave to the Palestinians unconditionally, and supported  
Hamas when the Arab world abandoned it.
 
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<_http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14602_ 
(http://www.palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=14602) >
 
 
 
 
 
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