Call it Wildfire

This weekend, violence erupted in Iraq and Kenya, in two seemingly unconnected acts. But the common denominator appears to be links to, of all surprises, al-Qaeda.

The Iraqi string of bombings allegedly involves Shiites turning on Sunni Muslims, which continues unabatedly since the overthrow of the Sunni tyrant, Saddam Hussein, who controlled the Shiite majority with an iron fist from 1979 to April, 2003, over 10 years ago. It seems that since that time, when the Shiites gained control of the government, retribution has been the keyword in all things Iraq. 

And of course, sitting in the background playing marionette is Syria's benefactor, Iran. Is anyone surprised? While the apparent crazy man, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is gone, the new guy, Hassan Rouhani, is really not that much different. After all, Iran is really an Islamic theocracy, ruled by the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, to whom all Iranian presidents answer.

In Kenya, a shooting spree occurred in a shopping mall in Nairobi, where at least 59 people were killed and over 150 were injured. Kenya is a predominantly Christian country, with a minority of 11% of the people claiming to be Muslim.

The Shabab, an Islamist militant group based in Somalia with ties to al- Qaeda, took responsibility for the attack, saying it was revenge for Kenya’s military operations in Somalia, which began nearly two years ago. “Kenya will not get peace unless they pull their military out of Somalia,” said Ali Mohamoud Rage, the Shabab’s spokesman, in a radio address. It wouldn't be a surprise if Iran financed this group and provided weapons to carry out this attack.

The region is an out of control fire with al-Qaeda pouring its gasoline all over the place. This Arab spring is nothing more than one set of benign dictatorships being overthrown by an even more controlling, fearful one. The difference now is that non-Muslim countries are now going to be exploited, too. 

Ultimately, the terrorists are going to go about their business in the way they best know how: attack, retreat into the shadows and attack again, with even more violent acts each time. The "business model" developed by Osama bin Laden is evolving to heights even he didn't envision. 

And all this is going on while the US and Russia play "king of the mountain." Both countries are vying for the hearts and minds of the Muslim world, while in reality, Iran is essentially playing both sides against the middle, as it tries to assert itself as the pre-eminent leader in the region. And by God, it's working.

Soon, the entire Middle East will be in flames, while Nero (the West and Russia) sits and plays his violin. The UN is useless to stop it because the US and Russia (and China) keep blocking each other's resolutions in the (in)Security Council to bring peace in the region. 

Iran, and its terrorist arms Hezbollah and now al-Qaeda, continued to reek havoc where it was foretold that the final battles would be fought. It certainly looks like the prophesies of old are becoming today's realities. 

Let's hope for something to happen which prevents the end. Or the region of black gold will soon be up in smoke.