WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN THE COMING WEEK!

You can just about take your pick of what situation this week is worthy of keeping track of.

The following article talks to the issue of Yemen and in my opinion, Yemen could be the story of the coming week.

The GCC is beyond the point of frustration with Saleh.

The lines are drawn and I am afraid the possibility of Civil War has gone way up.

Saudi now must consider yet another dramatic move such as it did in Bahrain.

A Civil War in Yemen is not a new event to Saudi, but the stability of the region is much less predictable than in the past.

Last year when Saudi sent troops to ‘support’ Yemen in a regional conflict along Saudi’s border, things didn’t go real well!

Saudi military members becoming prisoners was embarrassing to say the least.

Does Yemen have the potential to destabilize the GCC?

No, but Oman, would have to consider the ramifications of a border that is not secure.

So, what does Yemen really mean to the rest of the world?

Two issues:

1. The US is knee deep in a fight against UBL fanatics in Yemen and the badguys stand to make great gains from the pending collapsed government.

2. Iran gets exactly what it wants and needs; an event on the Saudi border that ties up the GCC and keeps them on Defense.

So; what else needs to be watched this week?

The usual issues are there and although they didn’t pop up today, they will make headlines soon.

SYRIA:

Syria  simply can’t resist killing people and nothing seems to indicate they intend on stopping. 

If the Kurds will show up in force, the momentum of the protest could change, but the Kurds learned a hard lesson after Desert Storm when it comes to Western Support.

Assad may have gained some level of assurance from the US President’s speech this last week; A sad truth that again goes back to the issue of ‘Perception’.

Confidence is a dangerous  concept for Assad right now. 

ISRAEL and the PA:

Some are of the opinion the President of the US is back peddling after the reactions to his speech this week.

Regardless, the 1967 border issue has proven to be far too emotional for not just the PA but for Israel as well.

As I said last week, ‘ Deeds before Words’ seems to be the demand from the Arabs.

Impasse is the norm and the norm is not going to change anytime soon.

IRAN:

 Not sure what level of information will come out  this week on the   on going power struggle.

With all the external issues around Iran, mainly Syria, and the persistent internal  struggle, Iran is not in a position to respond to more bad news.

I am still of  the opinion, unlike many watching the Middle East, the events of the ‘ Tunisian Virus’ are not all going Iran’s way!

When Iran states they are ‘founders of the Arab Spring’, I see that as nothing more than smoke and mirrors topped off with wishful thinking.

The ability for the ‘youth’ of Iran to standup against the Government is growing with each passing day.

The rest of the world may not see it, but it is taking place.

Iran knows all too well, they are on the verge of social strife and that is a huge factor behind the internal power struggle.

This week will be no different from the past twenty; with the exception we may add Yemen to the open conflict list.

The entire Middle East continues to simmer, but it’s reaching a bowling point sooner than most think!