General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHandy list of who is who in the Syrian and Middle East conflict
Esp. interesting is who arms who, listed halfway down.
Remember, it boils down to a Sunni/Shia conflict primarily. ( ISIS is anti Shia and most everyone else except their version of Sunni Islam)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_armed_groups_in_the_Syrian_Civil_War
RKP5637
(67,030 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)but majority is Sunni, which explains why ISIS targeted it.
The Middle Eastern countries with the greatest proportion of Sunnis are Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, with Sunnis making up 90% or more of the population.
Turkey is majority Sunni.
Shia make up roughly 10% of all Muslims, and globally their population is estimated between 154 to 200 million.
The Shia majority countries are Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Bahrain. They also form the plurality in Lebanon.
Russia supports Iran, and has had an uneasy alliance with Turkey.
Turkey depends on Russian gas.
Takes a hell of a mental juggling effort to figure out who is doing what to whom and the implications of something like today's attack on a Russian plane.
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)more than in Iraq.
Most of the Syrian army are Sunnis.
flamingdem
(39,303 posts)if they need their gas why cause a rift.
RKP5637
(67,030 posts)Wilms
(26,795 posts)Rose Siding
(32,623 posts)France would have been added to the intervention airstrike list, right?
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)I do not know what the MSM is saying about the conflict in the ME, but I am willing to bet they use the term "Muslim" to identify everyone living there, and make no distinction between the Sunni/Shiite clash at the heart of the matter.
As do the Reich Wingers here.
hifiguy
(33,688 posts)that have been going on in that part of the world for 1200 years. But with modern weapons and vehicles instead of camels and scimitars.
The ME has been the slaughterhouse of the world for more than a thousand years, save when the Ottomans imposed peace by force of the biggest army around.
One is seriously tempted to say build a wall around the whole shitaree and let them all kill each other off.
hay rick
(7,520 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)Thanks!
elias49
(4,259 posts)It's a cluster f*** over there and this provides a nice reference. Bookmarked for whenever I need it.
Bigmack
(8,020 posts)dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)using Bush time, of course.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)underpants
(182,270 posts)My thumb got tired scrolling thru that