Egypt fuels US-Iran fight for regional influence — analysts
ANALYSIS |
WASHINGTON — Reeling from the fall of its ally Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, the United States is hitting back at Iran as the arch foes fight for influence in a Middle East upended by popular unrest, analysts said.
Iran presents Mubarak’s fall as a new sign of Washington’s and Israel’s decline in the region, but the United States sees opportunities in a new outbreak of anti-government protests in the Islamic republic.
More broadly, analysts said, Iran frames the anti-government unrest sweeping the Middle East as inspired by Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, while the United States paints it as a democratic trend it inherently supports.
“We’re going to see a more heightened rhetorical posture by the United States,” said Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, which seeks to advance Iranian-American community interests.
The tougher verbal stance, he added, is driven mainly by the United States seeking to put Iran on the defensive after it tried to use events in Egypt to “undermine America’s position” in the region..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20110217com3.html
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