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Peace deals or a war pact,
One can be good, the other can be dangerous
For all the news of the recent thaw between Israel and Arab states like Saudi Arabia I’ve seen no mention of the sort of alliance forming from these deals. The Trump administration chose to hold Saudi Arabia close, so close that the U.S. wouldn’t lodge a protest over the Saudi murder and dismemberment of journalist and U.S. resident, Jamal Koshoggi. With the addition of Bahrain, the UAE and Sudan to the list of Muslim countries making deals with Israel, the Trump administration has established a clear strategic thrust, possibly on purpose.
There is one enduring divide in the Middle East, a conflict to which Israel is largely an observer. Trump administration policy has now committed the U.S. to one side of this divide. The conflict is the Sunni/Shia split, a clash that has burned throughout the region for centuries, and both the U.S. and Israel have now thrown their weight behind the Sunni led nations.
Sunnis make up the majority of global Muslims, around 85% of approximately 1.6 billion, and the schism between its two branches goes back to the Seventh Century, shortly after the Prophet Muhammad’s death. Saudi Arabia is majority Sunni as is their ruling family, whose century’s old alliance with the Wahhabi mission legitimizes the House of Saud in its claim to rule Saudi Arabia. It’s important to…
