Mideast 'axis' forms against West (CS Monitor)

[Up2Late]

("Makin' good progress! Right.)

from the April 20, 2006 edition

Mideast 'axis' forms against West

Iran is forging closer ties with countries and groups in the Middle East that share its hostility toward the US and Israel.

By Nicholas Blanford - Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

BEIRUT, LEBANON – Rising tension between the West and Iran is coinciding with the emergence of a loose anti-Western alliance - Israel now dubs it an "axis of terror" - spanning the Middle East, presenting a new challenge to the US's regional ambitions.

Centered on Iran, this alignment has hardened in recent months, analysts say, with Tehran shoring up old alliances and strengthening ties with countries (Syria and Iraq) and with groups (Hizbullah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad) that share its hostility toward Israel and the US. "The alliance that is emerging in this part of the world is a creation of Iran," says Sami Moubayed, a Syrian political analyst. "It wants to bolster its position by allying itself with countries or groups that can temporarily enhance its regional role and influence."

On Tuesday, Israel's UN envoy Dan Gillerman dubbed this alliance the "new axis of terror" following a suicide bombing claimed by the Iranian-funded Islamic Jihad in Tel Aviv the previous day that killed nine Israelis. "A dark cloud is looming above our region, and it is metastasizing as a result of the statements and actions by leaders of Iran, Syria, and the newly elected government of the Palestinian Authority," Mr. Gillerman said.

The alliance, which is ad hoc and tactical rather than a formalized strategic pact, includes Syria and groups such as Lebanon's Hizbullah, the Iran-backed militant Shiite organization, radical Palestinian organizations such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command as well as some Iraqi allies.

(more at link)

<http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0420/p01s03-wome.html>

[Rex]

1. All this military bluster is starting to really piss me off.

Stop talking and just do it, push the fucking button! Get it over with! Either do the 'nuclear holocaust' thingy or STFU and try PEACE and diplomacy! :( :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[bemildred]

2. The dumb guy notices whats going on all of a sudden. nt

[Up2Late]

3. "...dumb guy?" Who are you refering too?

:shrug:

[bemildred]

4. Mr. Gillerman.

The original idea was that the invasion of Iraq would lead the other middle eastern states to take a more conciliatory line. It has had the opposite effect. Mr. Gillerman finally takes notice of the unintended result.

He is a dumb guy because this outcome was predicted by his betters before the war was initiated, on sound historical and political grounds, and that prediction was dismissed and ignored.

[gulliver]

5. I wonder if Bush might bear some responsibility for this.

He took credit when Libya announced it was giving up WMDs. Shouldn't Bush take some responsibility for the new "Axis of Terror" that wasn't there before he screwed the pooch in Iraq? Isn't an Axis of Terror coming into existence in the Middle East somehow related to Bush's War on Terror -- as in a, um, loss? People should start recognizing Bush's stunning achievements in Middle East failure. He has records to claim, I think. Worst president. Worst Middle East "decider." Worst screw-up in history.