Tension in the Middle East
The country, as well as many other countries in the world, are closely watching the developments unfolding in the Middle East, particularly the current tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Saudi government, a predominantly Sunni country, executed forty-seven persons on terrorism charges, including a Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr, a vocal critic of the government and the Saudi royal family. This has sparked condemnation and outrage in Tehran, a predominantly Shiite country, with the rhetoric mentioning revenge and retaliation.
Protesters have stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran, ransacking the place and even starting fires. This has prompted Saudi Arabia to sever its ties with Iran, and has asked all Iranian embassy personnel to leave the kingdom in forty-eight hours. Countries allied with Saudi Arabia like the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have expressed support for the kingdom and have followed suit by downsizing their diplomatic staff in Tehran. Somalia has also condemned the Iranian attacks on the Saudi embassy. On the other hand, terrorist groups aligned with Shiites such as Hezbollah and ISIS have vowed retaliation against the kingdom.
Sunnis and Shiites have been on opposing sides for centuries, and on all fronts, political or otherwise. Even the current conflict in Syria and Yemen have support from both Saudi Arabia and Iran on opposing sides. The current tension between the two powerful Middle East states may affect the ongoing talks regarding the conflicts, not to mention dividing the region. And of course, the price of oil is on everyone's mind. The two countries are the major suppliers of the world's oil.
The markets have reacted swiftly to the tension. The price of oil has gone up, halting its downward trend that has been going on for months. And when the price of oil goes up, everyone pays attention. Many are now calling on the two countries to ease and defuse the tension diplomatically, some even criticizing Saudi Arabia's handling of its political prisoners as a human rights violation. Russia has offered to mediate. But it is still too soon to tell what these two will eventually end up doing, as emotions are already high. Nothing polarizes more than sectarian tensions.
This is not the way one wants to start the New Year. A regional conflict involving two of the most powerful Middle East states is not in the world's interest. Markets are already jittery, and governments are on their toes. What may be a conflict simmering for the past decades, centuries even, may explode into a full-scale sectarian war unless cooler, more sensible and diplomatic heads prevail. But in the Middle East, the power of religion and religious conflict seem more dominant than anything else.
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