Since 2011 when the so called Arab Spring erupted in Tunisia when a street vendor killed himself to protest abuse he'd suffered at the hands of local police the Middle East has destabilized to a dangerous point. Egypt's saga of ousting Mubarak, electing Mursi of the Muslim Brothers, he in turn ousted by the military as well. Syria is even more troubling with a two year old civil war that has killed 100,000 people, seen a growing jihadist faction among the rebels and the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. Iran and Russia support the regime with Saudi Arabia sending aid to the rebels.
Benghazi, Libya - U.S. consulate attacked on 9/11/12 Amb Stevens and three others killed. CIA annex also attacked - gun running through Libya, to Turkey to Syrian rebels?
The U.S. has dithered in the background - Obama asserted use of WMD would be a red line but regime used them several times without consequences so far -last use in 8/13, with 1,400 plus killed in suburbs of Damascus.
Not what Pres Obama expected when he gave his Cairo speech in 2009.
Arab spring - connected to Iraq democracy at all?
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