Foolish picking sides in religious conflict
President Trump spent time in the Middle East aligning the U.S. with Sunni Muslims and against Shiites, effectively taking sides in a centuries old conflict where logic and reason have rarely been apparent. That we should pick sides in this region so fraught with animosities, grudges, family feuds, religious grudges, and tribal hostilities is troubling. That we have spent the last 40 years intervening in this region with no coherent strategy, have befriended and fought both Shiites and Sunnis, and have spent trillions with little or no positive effect, leaves one to ask: Why?
Interesting to note that Trump is pumping up Iran (Shiite) as the enemy even as a more moderate Iranian leader has been re-elected, while at the same time he has cozied up to Turkey's Erdogan as Erdogan dismantles freedom and democracy in his country. Interesting also is that our Saudi allies are autocratic supporters of fundamentalist Muslims with direct ties to the jihadi movement. But we are selling them billions of dollars worth of military hardware. Yet the president shakes sabers at Shiite fundamentalists. We flaunt our ideals; freedom, democracy, free speech etc., yet we ignore the dogs we lie down with.
Why side with Sunnis?
Peter Storms
Waterford