Conclusion

摘要

The Middle East remains the world's most volatile region, subject to constant vicissitudes and jockeying for influence among various actors, both internal and external. The vagaries of this boiling pot threaten to spill over across borders and continents, making the Middle East a global hotspot that commands the world's attention. The issues are complex and many: ample energy resources, global jostling between powerful state actors, religious and ethnic conflict, border disputes, democratic movements vs. authoritarian regimes, terrorism, and excess petro-dollars used for funding radical religious schools of thought and for buying arms.