Was hier Robert D. Kaplan, Chief Geopolitical Analyst des Thinktanks Stratfor schreibt, geht doch mal runter wie Öl:

The more that 21st century geopolitics becomes fraught with both internal rebellions and regional clashes, the more that area expertise will be necessary inside the foreign ministries around the world. The 21st century, in other words, demands individuals with a 19th century sense of the world: people who think in terms of geography, indigenous cultures and local traditions.

In der Tat liegen die Probleme vieler Staaten der Region im 19. Jahrhundert verborgen. Informationen in Hülle und Fülle zu diesem Thema bietet mein Buch “Das Ende des levantinischen Zeitalters” (2013).