Iran Versus The Arabs; It Never Ends Well - Strategy Page
Aryans Versus Semites.
“The undeclared war between Saudi Arabia and Iran is not going well for the more numerous Sunnis (led by the Saudis). At the end of 2016 the outnumbered (by more than five to one) Shia, led by Iran are winning in all the major fronts (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen). That’s a big change from the start of the year.”
“In Syria Iran also managed to do the seeming impossible and defeat the Sunni rebels. This was accomplished by persuading Russia to intervene militarily in mid-2015 in the name of defeating ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant).”
“So yes, there is very much another Sunni-Shia war going on and Iraq, Syria and Yemen are right in the middle of it as are all the Persian Gulf states that control so much of the world oil supply. Much to the distress of the Arabs Iran moves slowly, deliberately and usually wins when their scheme reaches a climax. Arabs have been on the wrong end of this before and do not approach the situation with nearly as much self-confidence. Most outsiders don’t appreciate all this but these ancient animosities, rivalries and conflicts mean everything to the people in the Persian Gulf.”
Putin to Democratic Party: You lost, get over it
“Democrats are losing on every front and looking for people to blame everywhere,” Putin said in answer to a Russian TV host, one of 1,400 journalists accredited to the marathon session. “They need to learn to lose with dignity.”
"Can't they BOTH lose?"-Henry Kissinger, on Russia vs. China (I think)
Historically, the Shi'a have gotten the shitty end of the stick, and have only come up with the occasional rebellion, or brief stays in power (the Fatimids, Zanj, Assassins, etc.)
Arabs famously suck at everything they do, and so it's not surprising that the Arabs with the more committed non-Arab backers (Iran, Russia) are doing better.
It remains to be seen what will happen if/when the 500 lb Sunni gorilla, Turkey, fully weighs in.
In any case, I'm glad we've got the brains and nukes in the region.