Arab Spring and Sectarian Faultlines in West Asia: Bahrain, Yemen and Syria

Since the outbreak of the Arab unrest, sectarian politics has become more pronounced throughout the West Asian region which is reflected in the growing polarisation of society and politics on narrow sectarian lines. Rulers have adopted sectarian approaches as a measure to secure their regimes. Opposition forces have also united themselves on the basis of their sectarian affiliations. This book focuses on three countries – Bahrain, Yemen and Syria, where protests have taken place during the Arab uprisings and who have witnessed widespread violence and political instability. The role of two major regional powers such as Iran and Saudi Arabia has been extremely critical in all these three countries. Both Iran and Saudi Arabia have used sectarianism as a foreign policy tool to pursue their interests in the region. They have been found to be involved in a `proxy war` in these countries by the way of supporting either the regime or the opposition forces. Similarly the involvement of the two extra-regional powers, the US and Russia, especially in Syria has proven to be crucial for the security and geopolitics of the region. Sectarian faultlines has been widening since the outbreak of the unrest and has affected the political and security situation in West Asia.