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Title: The Geopolitics of Sunni-Shi'i Divide: A Historical and Contemporary Analysis
Description: This document delves into the deep-rooted history of the Sunni-Shi'i conflict, focusing on pivotal events like the Battle of Karbala and the shifting power dynamics in the Middle East. It explores how geopolitical factors, like the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the Syrian conflict, have exacerbated sectarian tensions, leading to the emergence of the 'Shi'i Crescent' and a significant rift between Sunni and Shi'i powers across the region.
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ge - FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUZE
PRI FOOTNOTES
FOREIGN'POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE
a 4 “A nation must think before it acts.” - Robert Strausz-Hupé
DECEMBER 2013
‘THE GEOPOLITICS OF THE SUNNI-S...
fact:
Helfont has expertise in Hebrew, Arabic, and Turkish languages.
fact:
The essay is based on a lecture for FPRI's Butcher History Institute conference.
fact:
Samuel Helfont is a Ph.D. Candidate in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University and has written on Saddam Hussein's use of religion to entrench his regime.
fact:
Helfont has authored works such as 'Yusuf Al-Qaradawi: Islam and Modernity' and 'The Sunni Divide: Understanding Politics and Terrorism in the Arab Middle East'.
fact:
The conference took place at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh in November 2013.
Remarkably senior officials and lawmakers — including the Chief of the F.B.I.’s
national security branch, and members of the U.S. House of Representatives’ committees on intelligence and
counter terro...
Accordingly,
this brief essay will attempt to answer the who, what, and where of Sunni-Shi‘i relations and attempt to address the
extent to which any of this matters for the geopolitics of the Middle ...
name a successor, and that the best of his followers should lead the community of Muslims. In other words,
succession should not be hereditary. The Shi‘is reject this view. They claim that Muhammad de...
Both Sunnis and Shi‘is recognized the legitimacy of his rule. Nevertheless, following Ali’s death,
violent clashes broke out between the followers of Ali, who insisted that his sons had the right to r...
context:
The text discusses the geopolitics of the Sunni-Shi'i divide in the Middle East, highlighting that sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shi‘is are more pronounced today than they were in 2006. Both Sunnis and Shi‘is recognized the legitimacy of the Islamic community's leadership following Ali’s death. However, violent clashes arose between Ali's followers, advocating for his hereditary line's right to rule, and his opponents, who argued leadership was not limited to Ali's lineage. These clashes culminated in the Battle of Karbala (680CE) in southern Iraq, resulting in the defeat of Ali's followers by the Sunni Umayyad Empire and the death of Hussein, Muhammad's grandson. The battle marked a significant moment in Islamic history, establishing the Sunnis as the dominant sect in the Middle East. The Shi‘is, on the other hand, see Karbala as a tragic event, commemorating Hussein's martyrdom in the annual Ashura ceremonies.
The
dominant faction believed that Ali was the first of twelve leaders, or Imams, who possessed a divine right to rule the
Islamic community. The twelfth Imam, they claim, went into hiding, or occulta...
The locations of Sunnis and Shi‘is have shifted dramatically over time. The medieval Fatimid Empire, for example,
was based in Egypt, which today has almost no Shi‘is. Iranians were mostly Sunni until...
Tellingly, many of the Shi‘i areas of the former Ottoman Empire were found in
geographically isolated territories or in border regions, which allowed them to resist homogenizing imperial trends. Thus,...
It is difficult to imagine such a
career would be possible in a political climate defined by sectarian conflict. Another example of sectarian ecumenism comes from an unlikely source — revolutionary Ir...
The Egyptian Sunni Islamist, Sayyid Qutb, was even put on an Iranian postage stamp. Khomeini’s outreach bore fruit. The Sunni Muslim Brotherhood across the Arab world largely supported the Iranian
Rev...
THE GEOPOLITICS OF SUNNI-SHI‘I RELATIONS TODAY
The current wave of sectarian tensions in the Middle East was inaugurated by the American-led invasion of Iraq in
2003. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Arab,...
Other
than Iraq, the two major issues that dominated regional politics were the Arab-Israeli conflict and the rise of Iran. On both of these issues, regional actors were divided, but not along sectari...
Accordingly, regional alliances during the
decade were not defined by a Sunni-Shi‘i divide. ? The main exception to this trend was the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood. The Syrian branch of the Brotherhood o...
However, the upheaval of the Arab Spring transformed the geopolitics of sectarianism in the region. The conflict in
Syria has been particularly transformative. Prior to the Arab Spring, the pseudo-Shi...
However, Shifi Iran and Shi‘i Hezbollah continued actively to support Assad. Thus, the Syrian
conflict segregated the region along sectarian lines in way that had not occurred previously. On one hand,...
fact:
Tellingly, many of the Shi‘i areas of the former Ottoman Empire were found in geographically isolated territories or in border regions, which allowed them to resist homogenizing imperial trends. Thus, today, Arab Shi‘is are found in the mountainous terrains of northern Yemen and southern Lebanon as well as along the old imperial boundaries between the Ottomans and Iranians in southern Iraq and on the western shore of the Persian Gulf.
No one knows for sure when, or how it will end. It could last for years, or
only a few more months. Nevertheless, one day it will end. The question observers of the Middle East need to ask is
what wil...
This is an important fact to keep in mind as we look toward the future. Regional actors
could move beyond the Syrian conflict. As was the case prior to the Arab Spring, other interests could again sha...
As dissatisfying as it sounds, the best conclusion one could draw is that sectarianism may, but will not necessarily,
shape future geopolitics in the region. Either way, all eyes need to be on Syria. ...
context:
THE GEOPOLITICS OF SUNNI-SHI‘I RELATIONS TODAY. The current wave of sectarian tensions in the Middle East was inaugurated by the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Saddam Hussein was a Sunni Arab, but Iraq was then, and remains today, a majority Shi‘i state. Geographically, Iraq links several of the Shi‘i communities in the Middle East. On one side are the Shi‘is of Iran and the Persian Gulf. On the other side are the Allawis — and thus pseudo-Shi‘i leadership in Syria of Bashar al-Assad — and the Lebanese Shi‘is, including Hezbollah. The 2003 the toppling of Saddam Hussein brought representatives of the majority Shi‘i population to power in Iraq. Consequently, an arc of Shi‘i power beginning in the Persian Gulf and Iran, running through Iraq and Syria, and ending in the southern Lebanese highlands extended across the Middle East. This configuration was aptly became dubbed by King Abdullah II of Jordan as the “Shi‘i Crescent.” For the first time in centuries, the Sunni Arab heartlands of former Ottoman Empire had been bisected by Shi‘i powers. This caused a good deal of consternation among traditional Sunni Arab elites and hardline Sunni clerics. Shifi Iran and Shi‘i Hezbollah continued actively to support Assad. Thus, the Syrian conflict segregated the region along sectarian lines in a way that had not occurred previously. On one hand, many Sunni Islamists, including in the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, blamed Iran for supporting Assad’s brutal crackdown on their Sunni Islamist counterparts in Syria. On the other hand, Iran and the Syrian regime felt betrayed by Sunni groups such as Hamas, which they had aided for many years. This drove a wedge between the erstwhile allies and helped define the conflict as a sectarian war between Sunnis and Shi‘is. The ramifications of the conflict there will provide the best indicator of future regional alignments. Either way, all eyes need to be on Syria.
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