Sunni vs Shia, a World War?

In the war between the Sunni and Shia Moslems the Sunni are falling back on all fronts. The Shia (Iran) are winning Lebanon through Hizbollah. They are winning Palestine through Hamas and they are winning Iraq through the elected government. So far they are running the table. Not to mention their alliance with Syria.

The Saudis intend to fight back.

A precipitous withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq will result in an immediate and massive Saudi Arabian military intervention to stop Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias from "butchering Iraqi Sunnis."

Nawaf Obaid, a Saudi security expert who is managing director of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project in Riyadh and an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says that over the past year much has changed. What was then unthinkable is now feared. A sudden departure of U.S. forces will place the future of Iraq's Sunnis in serious jeopardy from well-armed Shi'ite militias backed by Tehran. Numerous voices, says Mr. Obaid, have called for Saudi Arabia to protect the Sunni community in Iraq and to counter Iran's growing influence.

That could get real interesting. A fight between the Saudis and Iranians (probably Syria too) in Iraq.

The prospect is enought to sober up even the Democrats.

Westhawk says the Sunnis are in a fight for survival.

Sunni Arab alienation isn’t found only in al-Anbar province. Omar and Mohammed at Iraq the Model, two moderate, pro-Western Sunni Arabs in Baghdad, believe the current al-Maliki government “stinks.”

President Bush and his diplomats are well aware of the Sunni Arab alienation. U.S. ambassador Khalilzad and other U.S. officials have begged Mr. al-Maliki and his associates to respect Sunni interests, starting with a crackdown on the Mahdi Army militia. On the other side, Ambassador Khalilzad and General Casey, the U.S. commander in Iraq, have pleaded with the Sunnis to give up their suicidal resistance.