Joschka Fischer, Project Syndicate/Institute for Human Sciences, 2008; 30/5/08
As a result of misguided American policy, the threat of another military confrontation hangs like a dark cloud over the Middle East. The United States’ enemies have been strengthened, and Iran - despite being branded as a member of the so-called “axis of evil” - has been catapulted into regional hegemony. Iran could never have achieved this on its own, certainly not in such a short time. A hitherto latent rivalry between Iran and Israel thus has been transformed into an open struggle for dominance in the Middle East. The result has been the emergence of some surprising, if not bizarre, alliances: Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the American-backed, Shiite-dominated Iraq are facing Israel, Saudi Arabia, and most of the other Sunni Arab states, all of which feel existentially threatened by Iran’s ascendance.
See: http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10217014.html
Tags: Iran, Middle East Politics, USA