Syrian rebelion growing into an internatio​nal military conflict...............from CR

Below is an extremely important article. WP got the headline wrong in that it totally underplays the significance of what is happening. There is a lot more than arms flowing to rebels.

This, along with several other articles from Reuters and Al Jazera, says that everyone now agrees that the attempt to achieving a peaceful settlement in Syria has failed. Annan’s UN sponsored peace plan is dead. Assad is not going to back down. The Syrian conflict is now on the path to becoming a military conflict, a civil war. The gloves are coming off.

But even more ominous than that, each side in the civil war is also a proxy for a wider, international conflict playing out in the Middle East: the Shiite axis vs. the Sunni axis.

1. Side #1: The Shiite axis: Syrian government/Assad + Iran/Quds force + support from Russia and possibly China

2. Side #2: The Sunni axis: Syrian opposition + Sunni gulf states(Saudi Arabia, Qatar et al) + support from US and possibly NATO and Turkey

3. Side #3??: Al Qaeda. They want to be on the Sunni axis side, but not clear the Sunni axis wants their “help”.

BTW, this Shiite-Sunni conflict is also / has already spread beyond Syria:

· Lebanon: Iran-supported Hezbolla and Shiite/Aliwite groups on one side vs Sunni groups(SA and US to start supporting them?) on the other. They are already fighting in Tripoli.

· Bahrain: Saudi Arabia and Sunni minority rulers vs Iran and Shiite majority. Shiites protesting, SA sending in security forces to support the rulers. SA proposing a SA/Bahrain union which Iran says it opposes…….

· Western nations vs Iran over Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

This is on the path to a major Middle East-wide conflict……

Syrian rebels get influx of arms with gulf neighbors’ money, U.S. coordination