Once again the world is on the brink of a major conflict due to the inability of Iran and the Western powers to agree on the true picture and nature of the Iranian nuclear program. While the Iranians are saying that their nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, that is for the generation of electricity, the west, led by the US and Britain claim the Iranian government is secretly trying to build nuclear weapons so as to become a major nuclear power in the world. The Americans are just waiting for an opportunity to strike, as they are just preventing the Israelis from attacking the Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel has blamed Iran for a series of attacks on its diplomats in Thailand, India and other parts of the world. The Iranian government has vehemently denied these accusations. The Iranians have threatened to close the Straits of Hormuz if they are attacked by the west. The Americans then reacted by daring them, when they intentionally moved one of their battle ships through the water way. This was done twice in a matter of two weeks, just to show how powerful the Americans are. Then comes the Syrian uprising, where the Western powers have taken entrenched positions. They are asking the Syrian president to leave the seat of government and pave way for a new government. On the other side are the Russians and the Chinese who have made their intentions clear to the Americans and the British that they are not going to sit down idle and allow what happened in Libya to be repeated in Syria. They are in support of a dialogue or peaceful approach to the Syrian crisis. This support by the Chinese and the Russians for the embattled Syrian president has been termed as an emerging "Cold War" in the Middle East. Iran has also made her intentions clear not to allow the west to have their way in Syria by supporting the government against the rebels who are being supported by the west. Iran has also been hit by sanctions from the EU and the UN. These two situations if not solved amicably will plunge the Middle East into a crisis as the major world powers have taken entrenched positions. When two elephants fight, its the grass that suffers. This proverb might come true because anything that happens in the Middle East will have far reaching consequences on the developing world. Thus, the British Foreign Minister, Douglas Hague's worst fears will be confirmed when the two sides come out clearly to show their true colors in the Middle East. The next few weeks will determine the emergence of the new "Cold War" in the Middle East.
