Thoughts on "Shifting Sands: The Unravelling of the Old Order
in the Middle East, by Raja Shehadeh, Penny Johnson (Editor)

I happened today to pick up an additional book to
try to keep me 'amused',,, or occupied, or at least
not demanding a rest break outside to walk on
the planes wings, for the nearly never ending flight.

I got this book.
I decided to check out some overviews, and avoid
potential pitfalls.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26151655-shifting-sands

One reviewer had this IMHO interesting thought:
"we have the dismal prospect of these countries
(if they are countries) full of populations who despise each other.
Where does all this internecine hatred come from ?
We hear about the Sunni/Shiite split – something akin to he
Protestant/Catholic binary opposition in Christianity.
We see that Europe had its couple of centuries of war and
brutality between the two groups of Christians. Then an
accommodation was reached. The Sunni/Shiite division has not
found any accommodation since the 7th century.
I would suggest that’s a long time not to find a way of
existing peacefully with your co-religionists.

Justin Marozzi says
The sectarian tensions that bedevil the region today have existed
in Iraq since Baghdad was founded in the late 8th century.
Al-Barghouti says (p94)
Wars among communities of tens of millions, such as the Shiites
and the Sunnis, are unwinnable. Despite the brutality, in time
all factions will come to realise that no one can eliminate the
other.

A long time indeed. From early Medieval to today!

And, another way of viewing it:
https://www.amazon.com/Shifting-Sands-Unraveling-Order-Middle/dp/156656056X

One reviewer said, "Four years is a very long time in the
politics of the Middle East. This collection is interesting.
But to read it four years after its publication shows up the
lack of realism on the part of some of the contributors rather
badly."
Hmmm, OK