Struggle for Influence in the Middle East

While on the topic of visual displays of information, here's a great graphic from the New York Times illustrating the struggle for influence in the Middle East:


(click image for larger view)

A quick glance at this map reveals the following:

• Saudi Arabia and the US seem to cooperate in most areas except Israel.
• Saudi Arabia and Iran oppose each other in most areas except Israel
• Iran supports the Shiite Muslims while Saudi Arabia supports the Sunnis
• The Sunnis fear a consolidated front of Shiite power in the area.
• Saudi Arabia has been much less critical than other Arab nations of Israel's attacks on Hezbollah. This map offers an explanation by showing Hezbollah to be a Shiite organization supported by Iran.
• There are (at least) three major powers competing for influence in the Middle East -- Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. (Curiously, most people only complain about US foreign policy while clearly there are other nations in the region using foreign policy to greatly influence events in the area.)

None of these facts may be a surprise for anyone who keeps themselves informed on events in the region, but the power of this map is that it conveys all this information at a glance to anyone not familiar with the history or politics of the region.

Click here for an even more detailed visual map of this region and the conflicts going on there.