Truth be told, the Iranian "threat" has been more about spread of Iran's popular revolutionary ideology to overthrow kings and US clients than it was about "Shi'ism," or even a bomb. The Gulf states fear their own Shi'ite minorities and prefer repression to accommodation. US rapprochement with Iran leaves the Gulf more isolated, without an all-purpose Iranian enemy to justify their resistance to political change.

Iran Marks a Watershed in the Middle East | Graham E. Fuller Saturday, December 14, 2013 @ 6:23pm