by Rami G. Khouri, Daily Star, Lebanon

Summary

The dramatic expansion of the territory controlled by the “Islamic State” in Syria and Iraq in the last few months has generated a historic moment of reckoning in several arenas in those two countries, which mirror similar trends across the entire region.

I will touch here only on the most important big-picture issue that touches on the fate of many Arab countries, which is the nature of statehood and nationhood in the Arab region, and whether some Arab countries will collapse soon, or slowly over time.

Iraq and Syria are prime examples of this, as both comprise a mosaic of different ethnic, religious and national groups living alongside a dominant majority (Sunni Arabs in Syria, and Shiite Arabs in Iraq).

Even this is riddled with new uncertainties, for during the current battles in northern Iraq to push back the Islamic State forces there, the Iraqi Kurds clearly needed the support of the Iraqi armed forces, American air power and Kurdish combatants from Turkey to simply hold onto their territory, let alone roll back Islamic State units.

Read more: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Columnist/2014/Aug-20/267750-arabs-face-a-deep-crisis-of-statehood.ashx#ixzz3B0kq6Gtw
(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)