The strongmen may have promoted sectarianism, but so did their opponents. The Islamist uprising in Syria that was crushed by the bombing of Hama in 1982 was not promoted by Hafez al Assad. And this artcle does not explain why Bashar has been unable to subdue his opponents like his father did.
Another sectarian uprising took place in Iran in 1979. The Iranian revolution shows that sectarianism is not necessarily destabilizing. Robert Kaplan should be pleased with order that the Ayatollahs brought to Iran.
The strongmen may have promoted sectarianism, but so did their opponents. The Islamist uprising in Syria that was crushed by the bombing of Hama in 1982 was not promoted by Hafez al Assad. And this artcle does not explain why Bashar has been unable to subdue his opponents like his father did.
Another sectarian uprising took place in Iran in 1979. The Iranian revolution shows that sectarianism is not necessarily destabilizing. Robert Kaplan should be pleased with order that the Ayatollahs brought to Iran.