In a perfect follow-on to last week's discussion of "The Fate of Empires" we'll contemplate the dynamics at work for new alignments and new empires. This coming Member Monday will, in a sense, be a continuation of last week as we address current affairs in the Middle East in the context of the formation and reformation of empires that have made up world history. 

Click Here: Ex-diplomat, John Jenkins, assesses the likelihood of a new general war in the Middle East, with Israel and Saudi Arabia on one side, Iran and Hezbollah and the other. “What we are seeing is the eruption of a previously submerged rivalry between an expansionist Iran and a historically cautious Saudi Arabia that has been years in the making. The rivalry flows from Lebanon through Syria and Iraq, across to Bahrain, Oman and Yemen and up the Red Sea. It also affects Pakistan and Afghanistan”