Looking at the Middle East’s biggest conflicts (part two)

Much of the negative response to the nuclear agreement with Iran boils down to “us versus them” — “us” being the United States, Israel and the West in general and “them” being a vaguely defined brand of Islamic radicals determined to destroy Israel and Western values of democracy and freedom. But this narrative ignores the reality that much of the conflict raging in the region involves a battle within Islam pitting Sunnis against Shias, or “them versus them.” Understanding what some have called the great divide between Sunni and Shia Muslims is by no means easy. Ali Velshi examines how that divide is playing out in the Middle East chess game.