In the decades following the Cold War, of which 1973′s Yom Kippur War was a seminal moment, the Arab Middle East has coalesced into two opposing camps: the “radical” and the “pragmatic.”

Iran leads the radical camp, with Hizbullah, Hamas and Syria as its satellites. Egypt has been thrust, albeit unwillingly, into leading the pragmatic camp, while Saudi Arabia operates behind the scenes.

For Cairo and Riyadh, the Iranian threat is not just one of nuclear weapons; it is over the leadership of the Islamic world, over the direction Islam is taking, over radicalization and extremism versus moderation. Continue reading →