Saudi Arabia Versus Iran And The Ongoing Sunni Shia Conflict

The topic for this capstone project is â€Å"Saudi Arabia versus Iran and the Ongoing Sunni-Shia Conflict†. The paper will delve into the historical split between the Sunni and the Shia, as well as the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran given the fact that Saudi Arabia is a predominantly Sunni state while Iran is a predominantly Shia state. Evidently, this ancient divide is contributing in one way or the other to the resurgence of conflict in Muslim countries especially in the Middle East. For instance, it is this struggle between the Sunni and the Shia that feeds the current Syrian civil war, which is threatening to change the Middle East. The divide has also fueled violence in other Gulf countries such as Iraq, Bahrain, Yemen, as well as Lebanon. Notably however, the entire conflicts are not defined in respect to this Shia Sunni divide since there are many other economic, political, as well as geostrategic factors that fuel the conflicts. Nonetheless, the split is on e prism that can help in understanding these tensions (Luomi 36). The two nations of Saudi Arabia and Iran are competing for power and leadership in the Islamic world; consequently, they are employing many tactics including the sectarian divide to attain these ambitions. It is at this backdrop that the paper will look into the relationship of these two gulf counties including Bahrain, Yemen, and Syria. Besides the proxy war, there is also the fervor of armed militants in the Gulf that are motivated by theirShow MoreRelatedOil s Impact On The Economic Spectrum3994 Words   |  16 Pagesreport, we endeavour to predict whether the Brent crude oil price will be above or below the current â€Å"spot† price of around US$60 per barrel in one and five years time and we consider demand concerns in China, supply issues within the US and OPEC (Saudi Arabia especially) as well as global geopolitical impacts. In Part B, fuel is the largest operating expense for an airline and we will assess the vulnerability of the share prices for Qantas and Virgin Australia to movements in the oil price. Part A