Towards Anti-Shiaa McCarthyism In The Gulf States

If one is to believe the Kuwaiti newspaper Alsiyassah (an admittedly less than credible rag), there is a tendency in the GCC countries to make a collective decision to “banish” Lebanese Shiaa supporters of Hezbollah from their countries.

I think this would be a huge mistake. It would accentuate the tension between Sunnis and Shiaas in the region and cement the idea that a geostrategic battle between two regional powers is actually a sectarian war. This would also send back to Lebanon tens of thousands of resentful families who will turn to Hezbollah for help.

But I don’t think this will actually happen. I think the gulf countries are just scaring Hezbollah’s supporters into pressuring the party to tone down its rhetoric on Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Bonus: For more on the Sunni Shia tension in the region and the potential repercussions in Lebanon, read Michael Young’s column today.