Peculiarities of the Sunni-Shiite Сonfrontation during the Arab Spring

Abstract

The article reveals the main features of the Sunni-Shiite confrontation during the events of the Arab Spring. In particular, the author of the article notes that one of the main results of the Arab Spring was the collapse of the ruling regimes in a number of Arab countries, which was accompanied by the growth of Islamic radical ideologies. Under these circumstances, the factor of Sunni-Shiite confrontation is becoming more and more radical during these events, which has resulted in a series of armed confrontations between members of both faiths. The author of the article also argues that despite all its complexity and contradictions, the events of the Arab Spring have led to a complete change in the political map of the Middle East. Рolitically, these countries are undergoing a complete reform of the Arab East, due to the change from secular to religious, which was embodied by Sunni-oriented regimes. At the same time, as the course of events showed, Islamist organizations did not become the main organizing force in the protest movement in the Arab countries and were not its instigators. However, in many countries, it is the moderate Islamist parties that have come to power as a result of the election due to their strong influence on the general population of the Middle East. The Arab Spring has also shown that the actions of the modern and most educated part of society against dictatorship and harsh authoritarianism do not necessarily lead to democratic change in these societies. In a traditional society, forces that do not share liberal values and are unable to offer a frustrated and embittered population a democratic alternative have entered the political arena. All this in general not only did not solve the main domestic and foreign policy problems of the Middle East, but on the contrary led to their further aggravation. At the same time, the factors of the Sunni-Shiite confrontation in the region were increasingly used by various political forces of these countries to solve their own interests.