You can blame the European colonial powers for redrawing the borders in the region in 1918-20 after the collapse of the Ottoman empire.
Six months ago, at the end of Iran’s presidential election, I speculated that the long-lived theocratic dictatorship in Iran may be a lot closer to its end than its beginning: If you can plausibly say "This cannot go on forever," you are also saying "Some day this will come to an end.” Read More
Take a moment, first, to celebrate the fall of a regime of surpassing evil even by the Middle East's demanding standards. Father and son, the Assad regime oppressed and abused the Syrian people for 53 years, and now it's gone in a week. Even the American-backed puppet regime in Afghanistan didn't fall that fast. Read More