Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Haeri, an influential Shi’ite religious leader and former leader of the Iraqi Dawa Party, has issued a fatwa authorizing foreign Shi’ites to go to Syria to fight against Sunni Islamists.
Though based in Iran, Haeri is most influential in Iraq, and his fatwa is likely to dramatically increase the number of Iraqi Shi’ite militias sending fighters to Syria.
The Syrian Civil War has grown increasingly sectarian in nature, with Sunni Islamists dominating the rebels and Shi’ite factions like Hezbollah sending forces, initially just to protect religious sites, but eventually playing a major role in combat.
The fatwa is likely to underscore this trend, with Syria’s fate increasingly an afterthought as the two major sects of Islam are finding it turned into a battlefield for a centuries-old battle.
A big part of the point of the US invasion of Iraq was to destabilize the Middle East generally. I guess we can say, "Mission Accomplished!"
It cannot be disputed that destabilization was indeed well and truly accomplished . However, I have heard of many different avowed or imputed motives of the US invading Irak, but not this one. Can you point to a serious published analysis that "destabilizing the Middle East" was indeed a "big part" of the reason? Assuming this was the objective, there would be many far cheaper and more effective options (in terms of blood and treasure- even selfishly counting US costs only) to achieve this.
The politic by the west designed to divid nations in Middle East further, USG and EU governments in general working for Saudis and UAE pleasing the tyrants, however, the story on the ground is different then what is said to be. The start of Syrian war was planed and orchestrated by, among other democrats, Hillary Clinton middle eastern dictatorial regimes, Neo European fascism and social democrats for regime change in Syria, now over two years time, the war is no longer about the regime change but rather dividing Syria among Salafis, the Wahhabis and their affiliated terrorist groups in north east-north where Turkish government is beneficial by helping Al-nusra front and their affiliated terrorist to fight the Kurdish people both in Turkey and in Syria. Although these terrorist groups haven't started their direct attack on Kurdish people in Turkey, but time will come when they are going to.
The Saudis and UAE, the USG and EU are no longer interested using NATO to invade Syria, why would they when the Saudi mercenaries doing the job taking away chunk of the land making these regime happy while it is the people of Syria that suffers. Almost two years ago we warned the world of the same scenario which unfolding now, these regime have tested the blood of Yugoslavian and Libyan people, knowing that a regional war is not of interest nor they will win it, is better to divid Syria then send in their solders to be killed in Syria, as in Iraq and Afghanistan, such terms creates people at home sympathy, but by sending in the Saudis and UAE barbarians, making sure that Turkish government supplies them, housing them and etc, they always can say: it is them fighting each other, we have nothing to do with it.
If the Syrian war is going to continue there is another Vietnam era, human suffering created by the west this time for the people of Middle East to fight. To conquer the world, to help tyrants and dictatorial regimes, that's the kind of "democracy" that Neo liberals of all kind, from Sweden to England to Turkey and USA presents.