IS IT A SECTARIAN COMPETITION OR SECTARIAN WARS?

The Arab Spring started from Tunisia and spread to Egypt and Libya has caused regime changes in these countries within a short period of time. However, its reflections to the Iraq, Syria and Yemen were totally different because of the sectarian dimensions of the conflicts. The Iran and Saudi Arabia, which were known as the pioneer of sectarian competition in the Middle East, took their positions in the scene without any delay in order not to let the change of balance of power to their disadvantage. While Iran struggled with its all power during Syrian crisis in order to prevent the fall of Essad regime from the power by using its Qods Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Saudi Arabia and its coalition ally launched an air operation in Yemen against the Houthis to prevent any shift of power balance to the advantage of Iran. From the beginning of the Arab Spring up to now, Iran virtually was able to turn Baghdad and Damascus to the satraps of former Persian era, and this new situation dragged Iran and Saudi Arabia into a proxy war over Yemen. In fact the Arab Spring initially targeted the oppressor regimes of Middle East, but with Syria and Yemeni examples, the quantity of the conflict has changed and now we are facing sectarian wars. As we know of Western Europe’s examples, the sectarian wars can be more destructive and long standing.