Expert forecasts deterioration in the Middle East for 2013

January 21, 2013 Yevgeny Satanovsky, VPK Daily
http://rbth.ru/opinion/2013/01/21/expert_forecasts_deterioration_in_the_middle_east_for_2013_22071.html

There is little reason to believe that the medium-term situation in the Middle East will improve — all evidence is to the contrary.inShare.

In the Middle East
, 2012 ended without a major conflict. However, the growing tension throughout the region that has sucked in countries from Africa, Europe, and Central Asia is likely to continue, especially as the stand-off gradually morphs into a bloc confrontation. These blocs are essentially groups within the Islamic world that enjoy external support. The main protagonists are the Wahhabis in Qatar and Saudi Arabia, on one side, and the Shiites in Iran, on the other. Arab media sources claim that the West supports the former and Russia supports the latter, but the real picture is more obscure.