The idea that the Middle East is experiencing a period of unprecedented, dynamic transformation is so trivial that it does not bear repeating, either in Russia or anywhere else. Yet, far less trivial is a contemplation of the crisis of the system of nation-states in the region and the “end of Sykes-Picot,” about which many analysts have written, including this writer.
The region, however, continues to stun those closely following its turbulent transformation. In the near future, yet another state — namely, an independent Kurdistan, which may be formed in northern Iraq — threatens to be added to the already self-proclaimed, cross-border Islamic State (formerly known as ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) or caliphate — irrespective of how long the latter will last.
These days, debates are raging everywhere, including in Russia, about who is responsible for the crumbling of Iraq, one of the main pillars of the Arab world. Some ascribe the blame to the United States for toppling the regime of Saddam Hussein under false pretenses in the name of democracy. Others say that the culprits are the radical Islamists, who have destroyed state borders that had been historically established, or arbitrarily drawn by European colonizers, all in the name of the caliphate. Still others blame Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria for supporting Islamists to weaken the secular opposition, as the leaders of the National Coalition maintain.