Epstein Secrets

and to restore Sunni primacy. Look to Iraq, on Syria's eastern bo=der, for the region's quintessential artificial entity. Today, the gover=ment in Baghdad, Shiite-led for the first time in a millennium, sides with the Alawite dictatorship <http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013=03-24/world/37989851_1m

ing between Syria's Alawite regime and the Sunni=led rebellion would remain within the country's borders. Syria is at once the pivot and a mirror of the Fertile Crescent, =nd its sectarian and ethnic fissures reproduce themselves in neighboring A=ab states. As an oddly passive President Obama ponders what he might d

y has backed the secular pan-Iraqi movement of Ayad Allawi. Following months of contention after the 2010 elections, Maliki formed a government in Baghdad, scoring a victory for Tehran. Maliki has cracked down on Ankara-backed factions, issuing an arrest warrant for Tariq al-Hashimi, Iraq's vice presi

am Hussein, are now making amends. They are also closely aligning with Turkey to balance Iranian influence inside Iraq. Turkish-Iranian rivalry in the Fertile Crescent has opened up a can of worms: Iranian leaders attack Turkey's "secular Islam" and threaten to "strike Turkey" should Ankara act on its commitment

ad both helps Hezbollah and hurt ISIS. By working hard to strengthen the Shia in Iraq, Iran ultimately extends its power and can crush ISIS between Baghdad and Damascus. Most importantly, the Journal piece points to clues that suggest despite the dangers, Iran's Supreme Leader is quietly moving to ens

remarkable consolidation of Sunni sentiment against the Shi'a as Iran and its allies make gains. The disparate Sunni terrorist and tribal groups in the Fertile Crescent have united, for now, under the banner of ISIS, which shook the region and the world by routing Iraq's army and occupying much of the country. Mea