Rise of the Militias in the Middle East

Hoping that the implosion of the Assad regime in Syria will break Iran’s strategic lifeline to the Mediterranean Sea, separating the mullahs from their key Lebanese ally Hezbollah?  Think again.  Kyle Shideler of the Endowment for Middle East Truth argues that well-armed and well-trained militias are replacing traditional armies as the indispensable sources of military power in the region.  Iran and Hezbollah are reportedly preparing a 50,000-strong militia to seize key areas of Syria should Assad fall.

Shideler says filling the void left by traditional dictators is an ‘Iranian specialty’:

Even if you lose the war, you can still win the post-war chaos. They have played a similar game in Iraq with great success. So pervasive is the Iranian presence in Iraq that the Sunni opposition there has accused Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki of granting Iran permission to bring in 50,000 Iranian Basij militiamen to crack down on protestors and target foreign embassies, including that of the U.S.

He goes on to profile the use of lo-fi thugs to enforce Muslim Brotherhood rule in Egypt, and the disastrous American policy of sending weaponry to unstable Sunni regions.  Read more at Frontpage Magazine.