Sectarianism
Thursday, September 15, 2016 - 07:30
Iraqi Kurds have pushed forward with renewed vigor to retake land from Islamic State in recent weeks, territory that could be used as bargaining chips in future negotiations they are seeking to achieve more autonomy or even independence.
Monday, May 16, 2016 - 08:44
The five post-Soviet countries of Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) are secular states with a majority Sunni Muslim population — and each has a Shiite minority population. Sunni-Shiite tensions in other countries have escalated into violent conflicts in Syria, Iraq, Iran and elsewhere. So what’s the story on Central Asia’s Shiite groups?
Thursday, December 3, 2015 - 06:48
Local and international actors have called for the rearmament of the country’s armed forces following rising sectarian violence. However, such a move is fraught with danger, including threats by certain ex-Séléka factions to invade the capital Bangui should it occur.
Thursday, October 1, 2015 - 06:24
Lawmakers advocated Wednesday for the Obama administration to keep the U.S. military involved in the hunt for African warlord Joseph Kony.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - 06:49
Christian fighters take to the streets a day after at least 21 were killed in inter-religious violence in Bangui.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015 - 07:02
Iraq's Shi'ite paramilitaries said on Tuesday they had taken charge of the campaign to drive Islamic State from the western province of Anbar, giving the operation an openly sectarian codename that could infuriate its Sunni Muslim population.
Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 06:53
Over the past four decades, the 550,000-member Pakistani army has repeatedly dispatched forces to Saudi Arabia to back a strategic alliance between the two Sunni-dominated nations. But the latest request from Saudi Arabia is prompting strong opposition from several major Pakistani political parties, reflecting the country’s fatigue with armed conflict as well as unease over whether events in Yemen could further inflame sectarian tensions in the Muslim world.
Wednesday, April 8, 2015 - 06:38
Washington has welcomed the muscular role Arab militaries are playing in Yemen and Syria, but their greater participation could also create a greater risk of a wider Sunni-Shia conflict across the Middle East.
Monday, April 6, 2015 - 06:46
The United States' secret talks with Iran, which first led to the interim accord and now to a preliminary nuclear deal, has had wider consequences in the region beyond the simple nuclear file. This accord has angered many US regional allies, and particularly Saudi Arabia, which considers Iran an arch-enemy - partly due to an old Sunni-Shia schism in Islam. The sectarian difference has been manipulated by both Saudi Arabia and Iran in their strategic competition for greater influence in the Middle East, which has undermined the stability of the entire region.
Monday, March 16, 2015 - 07:25
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has rejected, at least for now, Saudi Arabia's entreaties for Pakistani troops to help guard the Saudi border with northern Yemen, controlled by Iranian-backed Houthi Shiite forces.