The Middle East is the center of Islam. That is, Shiite Muslims live mostly in the northern states of the Middle East, and Sunni Muslims live mostly in the southern, Gulf states. Those four countries make up the entire northern portion of the Middle East, unless Afghanistan is considered in the Middle East (most authorities don’t). It will enable Russia to have a stronger influence in the Middle East and open shipping lanes from Russia to the Mediterranean Sea. Thus, U.S. President Donald Trump may have done more this week to further divide the Middle East politically than anything that has occurred there in modern times.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 13, 2019 03:45 UTC