New Hope Against Old Conflicts In The Middle East

Is Bahrain the latest proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arbia? We take a deep look at the role of sectarian strife in Middle East uprisings and the consequences for regional politics and American policy.

In the beginning, the Arab wave of political uprisings looked simple. Authoritarian rulers in Tunisia and Egypt, out. The people in the streets – young Arabs with new ideas and expectations – up and celebrating.

Now, as bombs fall on Libya, the unrest continues to roll in the Arab heartland. But there, big, old stories are being mixed with the new. Of Sunni-Shia conflict. Of Saudi Arabian rivalry with Iran.

Pro-democracy protestors say they want free of all that, but it’s in their faces now.

This hour On Point: new uprisings and old tensions in the Middle East.
- Tom Ashbrook
Guests:

Bernard Haykel, professor of Near East Studies at Princeton University.

Suzanne Maloney, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute and author of "Iran's Long Reach: Iran as a Pivotal State in the Muslim World."

Simon Henderson, fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.  Joining us from Qatar, after a trip to Bahrain.