A faction willing to take the risks of making war on the ossified status quo in the Middle East can be described as many things, but not as conservative.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
Shifting loyalties in the Middle East make it difficult to vet supposed moderate groups.
The foremost threat to Iraq's long-term stability and the broader regional equilibrium is not the Islamic State, it is Shiite militias, many backed by - and some guided by - Iran.
Several experts on the Middle East concur that the Middle East cannot be democratized.
It's particularly incumbent in the Middle East on Sunni Arab nations to fight for values, to fight for the protection of innocent life, to fight for the principles of civilization and stability and order itself.
You in the West have been sold the idea that the only options in the Arab world are between authoritarian regimes and Islamic jihadists. That's obviously bogus.
These are all elements, but the main thing we can do in the Middle East is encourage the reformist elements.
I don't believe in regime change, certainly not in the Middle East.
Middle Eastern wars rarely end with outright victory and permanent stability, so the word 'settlement' may promise too much. At best, for many years, it may simply mean stable ceasefire lines, reduced bloodshed, fewer refugees, and less terrorism.
The Iranian regime, in my mind, is the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East.
Here's a notion: Peace in the Middle East would come about more easily if the region were governed by women.