clear in understanding peter did you say peter that we were supporting shia in syria. we're supporting a range of fighters in syria that are loosely considered sunni and i certainly understand that we're using these terms sunni and shia very broadly there are divisions within each very large group but as a shorthand i think it's quite valuable the idea of be. fighting against assad in syria is acceptable fighting against the shias in iraq is unacceptable this kind of where we believe we don't think you're alright alright alright alright i paid a major point richard in new york please weigh in go ahead. i don't think we are interested in supporting in syria we're looking for this elusive group the move the moderate sonu of the moderate shia and hoping that they will find a common ground and present a coherent political platform to get down to talks with the leadership of bashar al assad in syria where we're not interested at all in advancing the interests of al qaida and this is the good news is that apparently the islamicists. in syria are very divided. and increasingl

this is not a shia-sunni civil warlike we see in syria.he shia population is not rising up against its sunni brethren. you have two or three -sided struggle between tribes and local police vaguely supporting al maliki, but also very unhappy with the steps that al maliki has taken. iraq is under tremendous pressure because of syria and foolish moves by the iraqi government, but it is still holding together as a constitutional construct. for example, they're working better together in some respects than they have in the past. >> both you and professor cole has cited the syrian war. how does that complicate matters next door in iraq. >> the divide that really frightens iraqis and frightens us because it goes back to to 2006-2007. secondly, it creates a free idea for al-qaeda forces, the iraqi state of iraq and lavan in syria to operate, gain weapons, and to reinforce the remnants of the al-qaeda movement in iraq since 2007. it has put great pressure on the government. >> so l athe kuba between regional powers of iran and saudi arabia . >> it'

you had people converting from shia to sunni, in iraq in the early 20th century.arriage all over iraq, all over lebanon. i challenge anybody to find an instance from the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century where sectarianism is the primary divide in any one of these societies where sunnis and shias live together. >> what turns it on? >> one of the things that turns it on is the creation of sectarian structures by the colonial powers, the french in particular in lebanon and in syria and the british in iraq, played a sectarian game. we then came in with our p in my view, somewhat limited understanding of these things and in iraq, dismantled the awful structure that the baath had created but we also dismantled a state that had been built up since times, and that is to my way of thinking one of the serious problems that we're facing all over this region, in libya i'm afraid increasingly in syria and certainly in iraq. >> when one looks at this from an american foreign policy point of view, what is also striking is if our real enemy are the sunni extremist milita

>> i like it, but not for shia. it is hard to like shia. post racial world we can say shia is a thug. >> wow. >> he is thuggish. >> i love shia. >> >> except "transformers." >> have you seen the nymphomanic movie? >> no, but i will bring mr. c. >> i like shia. he is entertaining. he is a good dude. >> how is he entertaining? >> he did stand up before acting. >> that's not true. he was like six years old. >> he was doing tom key -- he was going to the laugh factory. >> really? >> yes. i mean thug. >> i thought greg was going go there. >> just saying it. >> so not true. harris, can you be the adult in the room here? >> i don't think so. i can try. is shia a misunderstood genius? >> i don't think he is not as famous as he was. they are making transformers 4. does he know that? i think he is feeling left out. to have relevance takes effort. i love that the producer said the play plagiarism was spelled the way he spelled it. it was wrong. if you are going to be famous, get a dictionary. you love shia more than not doing anything on weekends. how

divisible self-determination whether she or sunni and a majority shia country like bahrain should be shia a majority sunni country like syria should well sunni and maybe glee if it weren't the political game going on there should arabia ok brother then the oldest brother he's only got three go ahead go ahead before the break go ahead i'm marked on mark's promise that america should be a christian nation and a white nation because it's the majority nation i mean that's completely o'mara told her she had sort of the basic tenet of democracy or freedom all right gentlemen i'm going to jump in here this is going to go to charlotte bring out again and after that short break we'll continue our discussion on saudi arabia stay with our. why is the price of gold so high. demand global demand do you think gold is money. the value of the only plays we have to live of the water that we need to survive it's not compared to gold i mean gold we're not going to eat gold we're not going to bait with gold. we're not going to drink up what clearly what amal is and is in a desperate economic situation a

fact the sunni minority claims out they are being targeted by the shia led government and its war on terror specifically so do you the sunni's have a voice in this conflict what is the situation there in iraq of around. ok that's a good point the situation is nato created a division among the sectarian communities. and what's taken place is they gave power to the shia and no power to the sunni so the sunni are fighting for a place in the society and in government so the. saudis are also sponsoring the. terrorists to create chaos in the country simply to eliminate the shia influence or overall you know what about the government and the measures that it's taking i mean it seems like they're taking harsh measures here i mean is there no other choice dealing with the situation in your opinion well there has to be a different choice and the choice is to include the sunni factions or the sunni people into the government bring them into the mainstream remember then we're looking at the north kurdish areas they're sitting back and at some point they're going to they're going to ask for auton

in syria of course you have a sunni majority country ruled by a shia iranian backed month surely why he's killing washington d.c. involved in also who it is coming out of the balance sheet in washington be backing the same i'll tell you what friends go ahead go ahead mark they should they should be backing the peaceful rebels there because and doing it through a no fly zone by the way not through arms because right now it's all going to end up frankly you know why you don't have any light there brian jump in here no what's an act of war mongering is a. good start getting over to talk over each other brian let's be real let's be real if i could a no fly zone means you have to carry out the you through the u.s. and nato air forces the ability to destroy the syrian air defenses no fly zone means the u.s. would unlike what it's doing right now which is preparing for another round of negotiations be doing what the saudis wanted them to do less summer which is to further take that step towards a full scale military engagement with the syrian government and with its allies a no fly zone is

country like bahrain should be shia a majority sunni country like syria should well sunni and maybe glee if it weren't the political game going on there should arabia ok brother run for a minute let me go to praise him for the primary go ahead go ahead before the break go ahead i'm marked on mark's promise that america should be a christian nation and a white nation because it's the majority nation i mean that's completely american. short of a basic tenet of democracy or freedom all right gentlemen i'm going to jump in here this is going to go to charlotte bring out again and after that short break we'll continue our discussion on saudi arabia state with our. leave. the piece of legislation was terrible to say now i'm very sorry to take out a letter to get along here is a plot that you never had sex with that hurt their lives let's call it was. just so. let's listen to the i'm . melissa block. i think. we're going to go digital the price is the only industry specifically mentioned in the constitution and. that's because a free and open process is critical to our democracy correct al

country like bahrain should be shia a majority sunni country like syria should well sunni and maybe glee if it weren't the political game only going on there should rabia ok brother run for that let me go to praise him for the primary go ahead go ahead before the break go ahead i'm marked on mark's promise that america should be a christian nation and a white nation because it's the majority nation i mean that's completely america owes the land he or she has sort of a basic tenet of democracy or freedom all right gentlemen i'm going to jump in here this is going to go to charlotte bring out again after that children will continue our discussion on saudi arabia state with our. legal. wealthy british style. tires. market why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max cause or for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into kinds of reports . that. i think corporation kind of can. do and the banks i think it's all been all about money and that's like that for a politician right a lot and right. there just to plug. that. welcome back to c

country like bahrain should be shia a majority sunni country like syria should well sunni and maybe glee if it weren't the political game going on there should arabia ok brother in florida let me go to praise him for the primary go ahead go ahead before the break go ahead i'm marked on mark's promise that america should be a christian nation and a white nation because it's the majority nation i mean that's completely america owes the land he or she has sort of a basic tenet of democracy or freedom all right gentlemen i'm going to jump in here this is going to shirley out again and after that short break we'll continue our discussion on saudi arabia staying with our. unexplored antarctica what is it in this icy expanse that attracts the people who come here. which is why now i only go to the dock. and enter into. a new generation of polar explorers is coming. we have a new group of specialists here now all of them are young how are they going to get along with each other and i don't know. who. i used to be a bureaucrat. seriously. what adventures await in this mysterious land where t

. >> jim, the two main motifs, i guess, between islam and sunni and shia, and the increased pressure of christian, that is under tremendous pressure. what's going on? >> well, they've been under pressure for many years, even before president mubarak was deposed. but in each country it's a different factor. in iraq it was the war. and it was the fact that christians had it good under saddam. and when the ethnic cleansing or religious cleansing began by neighborhood, they were the most vulnerable, the sunni -shia fight found the christians in the middle, and those who launched that war never considered the victims of it were the christian community . the regime that supports and makes possible a more secular country, and the majority sunni population that comes mostly from rural areas, has flocked into the cities, ranting against the evil ways of the urban community, and has found a message that resonates with masses, and again christians have paid the price. they're viewed as the supporters of the regime, they pay the price there. in egypt you had a secular regime, but you also had a

an offshoot of shia aided by hezbollah.anon also you have the same phenomenon, but also if you go south to the arabian peninsula in bahrain, you have a sunni/shia tension and also in northern yemen. so on the face of it, regionally, yes, there is that clash. but my question to those raising this argument, is it really all of the shia versus all of the sunni or the radicals who are fighting? jenna: it's interesting that you point that out, because it's something when we look at iraq we should mention it's not as simple as we try to explain it, that there are sunni that don't like the shia government, there's also sunni that are working with the shia government because they don't like al-qaeda. with these complexities though, often folks want to throw up their hands and say it's very complicated, it goes back centuries, and we shouldn't be involved. what do you think? >> look, the sunni/shia factor is driven by the radical forces. if you go and run an analysis or a referendum among the sunni and the shia, what you're going to

this one was in the shia district. the target of a former minister was in a sunni area. it is mainly civilian who is are getting killed in a conflict where borders are becoming blurred. al jazeera, beirut. >> also in lebanon the suspected leader of an al-qaeda rebel group has died in custody. he went into kidney failure while receiving medical treatment. he was a saudi arabia national and was on his country's most wanted terrorist list. >> turn to go south sudan where people are fleeing the city of bor. aid agencies estimate fighting between the government and those loyal to its former vice president has caused 60,000 people to flee. bor has been in the middle of the fighting since december. >>> meeting tomorrow in ethiopia for reconciliation talks. i spoke with hilda johnson who is head of the united nations' in south sudan. she said first is to get the two sides to agree on ending the violence. >> in the place where the talks take place, that will mean that we have development that could lead to such a scenario. that is the main point. it is to halt and stop the violen

i guess he has something to be proud of there. >>> moving on from shia -- shia's lack of shyness.a possible reunion for "sex in the city." one of the most popular shows of all-time. she had an interview with "instyle" magazine and she says, part of me thinks there's one last chapper to tell. >> why not? >> the women of "sex in the city," there's a door open they may get back for a reunion. >> i think they need to redeem themselves. the second movie was not so great. i didn't think. i didn't love it. i liked the first one. so maybe three will make -- make up for it, put a nice bow around it. >> i wonder if shia will audition for that one, too? >> that would be interesting. >>> quickly, we want to get to abc's "the bachelor" that premiered on monday, it three-year premiere high. more people watching this premiere than in years past. i think you can see why right here. the shirtless wonder right there. my future husband, juan pablo. >> you and juan pablo, david beckham, shia labeouf. >> single girl on the show, deal with it. it. ♪ ♪ beautiful beautiful beautiful boy ♪ >> welcome back

he does have incentive to the shia, that's his power base. the party that incorporates sunnies and shiites, and the politics is purely sectarian. this is al maliki's preference. he was a conspirator for 20 years, and he doesn't reach out very easily. he has been prime minister for some time now, and he has taken on militias and won, and so he is a street fighter, but i really wonder if that's what iraq needs right now. it seems to me that someone who is able to spread around the oil largess, and who is able to convince people that he's there president as well, united, not a divider, it seems to me what is needed, and al maliki is a very polarizing figure. >> after two days of voting on a new constitution, this is the first ballot since mohammed morsi was ousted from presidency in july. it's a crucial test of support for the military-backed government. >>> the military backed government is seeking a yes vote in order to replace the constitution passed under president mohamed morsi. if approved parliamentary and presidential elections will be h

analysts with iraq body count point to a greater divide between the sunni muslim sect and their shia rivals. they say sunnis have become frustrated with the shia-led government and have fought reportedly with security forces. they say the civil war in neighboring syria has made things worse. many sunni extremists have slipped into iraq and carried out attacks against shia citizens and police officers. >>> international forces in afghanistan are entering a crucial year. they're monitoring security as afghans prepare to vote in a presidential election and they're scheduled to pull out by the end of the year. multinational forces led by u.s. troops moved in after the september 11 terror attacks in 2001. they drove out the taliban government but have been caught up in fights ever since. more than 80,000 foreign personnel is still in the country to help maintain security. they continue to engage remnants of the tell ban. some fear the security situation will disrupt the election in april to replace president hom mid karzai. many wonder whether afghan military and police forces will be abl

the largely shia government that has kind of isolated alienated the sunni populations within anbar and on this attempt of al qaeda to come back is an attempt to sort of reinvigorate some tensions within the sunni and shia populations so there's a general genuine trend that we didn't resolve in two thousand and seven either there is just another myth that somehow betray us when in and fix the ongoing tensions no we simply kick the can down the road for them to really surface later on yeah i know people in the military members of the air force that are very disappointed and disheartened who lost people that we are where we are today basically slipping back what do we do now i mean is there any clear solution what action if any should the u.s. take well i think i think for sure that there's a series of things united states used to do and that's one staying out of syria staying out of iraq with our troops staying out of domestic political problems because at the end of the day these are only situations that local syrians or iraqis can fix and can bring solution to are the second thing is i

shia population. be tough. >> chris, i've got to ask you this. it certainly seems this has escalated since american troops pulled out at the end of 2011. president bush went in there saying this was going to be some place of peace in the middle east, that this was going to be some sort of model. do you see where the u.s. got involved at all? is there any success here or is this just really ultimately a failure? >> well, i mean, certainly the question of iraq and the invasion is something that history books will look at for a long time. obviously, a lot of good things have happened. certainly one can't spend ten minutes in the country without thinking it was a good thing that saddam hussein is gone. but the notion that the united states or specifically the u.s. military could deal with some of the political, the underlying sectarian and political issues, those are issues that need to be sorted out by the iraqis and it's going to take some time. >> would you advise the obama administration to start brin

the standoff is the indication of the standoff of sunni tribes and the shia led government. now nouri al maliki, has the upper hand. >> the army provides the tribes with all the weapons they need against the terrorists, one or two days to expel the armed groups. >> reporter: but one or two days may be optimistic. surgical air strikes against the isil fighters. getting rid of the fighters there will prove to be more challenging. only adding to the worries of the iraqi government are increasingly vocal critics of the prime minister. >> we call on the government to call on the demands of the people, demands that are not related to terrorism by any means. worse things may happen especially of what's happening in the region. >> reporter: the reason for the criticism is simple. general elections are scheduled for late april. all the political parties will be looking to get themselves into the best position they can around forcing prime minister maliki into the situation? imran khan, al jazeera. >> at least 16 people have died in election related violence in bangladesh. despite pre

when iraqis removed his head from his shoulders, the shia took power that it had long been denied.he united states left the country in 2011. the new government has struggled

. >> ok, how much of this is being fueled by the broader sunni and shia split?here, but the chasm has widened in the last couple of years. >> there is an ideology that is separate from the sectarian splits, but this segment of al qaeda in iraq and syria as well is the most sectarian. it hates shia more than any other al qaeda segment in the world, so this segment in iraq fueled a little bit more than others by the sectarian split, and a real focus on targeting shia. forward,hanistan going do you think that if the u.s. had fought harder to keep a certain number of troops in iraq a couple of years ago, what we are seeing today could have been mitigated? >> it is possible, but part of the problem in iraq right now is a governance issue with the government, including the competence of some of the security forces in cities like -- and and romani ramadi. with thehink that challenges in iraq, this might have come about anyway. a would you like to see response now from the white house? >> i would like to see a more robust response in the region. about are talking milita

the shia-led government is perceived to be ignoring grievances. imran khan reports. >> after a standoff lasting day, the iraqi army is ready to go into the city of fallujah, and fight the al qaeda-linked group. the agreement to do so is hard-fought. local tribes insisted they be part of any operation. other tribes in the area have disagreed. >> translation: the tribal revolutionaries will fit to protect fallujah, and we will take on anyone from the sectarian government and repel the dirty act by the central government. >> the standoff is an indication of the tension between sunni tribes in anbar and the shia led government. now prime minister nouri al-maliki has his agreement and is poised to act. >> translation: there's increased coordination between the army and tribesman. i think this issue will be resolved within one or two days to expel the armed groups. >> one or two days is optimistic. the israeli army sent out a video against the i.s.i.l. they are limited to the cities. others are on the border with syria, and getting rid of the fighters.

trainer, jillian michael takes a break from "the biggest loser" to show us some new moves, plus, is shia labeouf having a meltdown? entertainment reporter shae wilbur has the latest scoop. and all the latest juicy hot topics! now here's wendy! [ cheers and applause ] [ cheers and applause ]

the tensions between sunnis and shias growing and never at this level.re's really a fear that the i.s.i.l. - yes, they claimed responsibility for the attack. they may be based in syria and have some fighters here but are able to recruit lebanese. >> thank you zeina khodr there. >> fighters from that group, the i.s.i.l. are also engaged in battles in the iraqi prove jinses. prime minister nouri al-maliki said forces are trying to drive them out. powerful sunni tribes who are becoming organised are fighting the i.s.i.l. and government forces in fallujah. >> let's look at the main players in anbar province. the islamic state is a group of sunni fighters originating in iraq following the u.s.-led invasion in 2003. it's lipped to al qaeda, wants to establish an independent rate in parts of iraq syria and elsewhere. the local tribal leaders, sunni, in 2006 they fought back formed groups known as awakening council, and backed by the u.s. defeated al qaeda in anbar by 2008. and the sunni tribes mainly control the province and don't trust the government in baghda

kyla and shia and francesca.see you all. >>> unlike barack obama, action star steven seagal has a good relationship with russia's president. i'm going to be talking to him about the threat of terrorism at next month's olympics later in the show. but first, why am i sticking up for scarlett johansson? you'll find out when we come back. drinking plenty of water, but still not getting relief? try dulcolax laxative tablets. dulcolax is comfort-coated for gentle, over-night relief. dulcolax. predictable over-night relief you can count on. i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alkseltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. [ male announcer ] at a company that's bringing media and technology together. next is every second of nbcuniversal's coverage 0f the 2014 olympic winter games. it's connecting over one

if you look at the violence in lebanon and syria and iraq and the fact there are shia/sunni passionsf those places and sometimes the same groups in each of those places. and secondly, we're seeing the worst violence in iraq since 2006 and 2007. the u.n. said last year 8,800 iraqis died and you've just seen this horrific violence in anbar province in fallujah and ramadi over the weekend. prime minister al maliki has driven the sunni population and leadership away and needs to do with president bush and petraeus did during the surge, win back the loyalty of those tribal leaders in anbar to the west and north of baghdad. >> criticism this weekend from senators graham and mccain, they issued a statement saying many predicted that the vacuum would be filled by america's enemies and sadly that reality is now clearer than ever. mccain and graham somewhat predictably saying i told you so. >> yes, the alternative is difficult. there's a lot of criticism of the obama administration in the words of the critics for abdy indicating the responsibility in iraq and other places. but the alternative

thank you very much, caylee, shia, francesca.ike barack obama, action star, steven segal has a good relationship with russian's president. talk to him about the threat of terrorism in next month's olympics later in the show. first why am i sticking up for scarlet johannsen. you've will find out when we come back. you'll find out when we come back. it's not happening, honey. let her get it. she got her safe driving bonus check from allstate last week. and it's her treat. what about a tip? oh, here's one... get an allstate agent. nice! [ female announcer ] switch today and get two safe driving bonus checks a year for driving safely. only from allstate. call an allstate agent and get a quote now. just another way allstate is changing car insurance for good. call an allstate agent and get a quote now. imany cold medicines may raisee your blood pressure. that's why there's ricidin hbp it relieves cold symptoms thout raising blood pressure. so look for powerful cold medicine with a heart. coricidin hbp. >>> actress scarlett johannson i

so they're targeting a lot of shia places.ve seen a couple sunni places being bombed, as well. so it is those al qaeda-linked extremists who are likely behind a lot of those bombings. there are also shia militia who have not come out in force at the moment, but when sunni targets are attacked, you can look in that direction. there's a lot of weaponry and a lot of munitions around this country. >> yeah, and, of course, as citizens, the iraqis getting caught in the middle of all of that. michael, as always, please be safe. look forward to your -- to coming back. we're also following secretary of state john kerry on his way to kuwait to help drum up aid for syrian refugees. but first he stopped by the vatican, and he spoke with the vatican secretary of state. >> we talked at great length about syria. and i was particularly appreciative for the archbishop's raising this issue, and equally grateful for the holy father's comments, the pope's comments yesterday regarding his support for the geneva 2 process. >> kerry also said that t

the shia in iraq had been brutally suppressed by saddam hussein, and under the baathist ideology that leaned towards the islamic towards the end of his regime, but shiites bore the brunt. but this became an opportunity for shiites to be empowered and have their country back. they're the demographic majority there. and the distrust between these communities is extremely high. some groups benefited from saddam's regime, and others did not. there was natural great attention. you're seeing that all over the middle east in syria as well. this is a sectarian conflict in part because the assad family, who are of the aloeuite sect, which is a very small islamic islamic{^l" ^}sect, and you see pitting of religious groups against each other. they favored other religious groups like the christians, so in the context of that regime breaking down again you're seeing terrible violence and distrust. this goes back to what you were suggesting earlier, ray, that when you have sort of neat authoritarian governments that control everything you may not see a lot of religious conflict. but underneath thos

for mohammed, it targeted lebanon's unity. >> in principal the shia are not targeted. there was an attack against sunnis in tripoli. this is the work of extremists trig to create sectarian strife. >> some believe it was in retaliation of fighting. hezbollah's opponents here believe the lebanese shia-armed group should withdraw its forces from syria, to spare lebanon. hezbollah supporters disagree. >> if hezbollah didn't fight in syria, the extremists would have come here, and we would have seen 10 car bombs a day. already terrorists have come to lebanon. >> the war in circumstancia spread. the battlefield is here too. long existing political and sectarian tensions are getting worse. lebanon's civility is at risk. >> the lack of national unity and political consensus made lebanon a battle ground. it is part of a proxy war, some say, that engulfed the middle east. >> what is happening is a result of saudi arabia iranian rivalry. the rivalry makes lebanon open to terrorism. >> the frequency of attacks like these raised concerns. this one was in a shi'a district. last week

i think he'll have real competition from the shia. he has been clever in the past reaching out to the sunni when he needed them to reach out to the kurds, and he has to continue to be clever about that. at the same time there is no question there is an al-qaeda threat as well. it is not numerically a very large threat but it is very disruptive threat, and it is killing iraqis. and he needs to be able to respond to that with force. but he responds to the protesters with force rather than al-qaeda with force he could make his situation worse. >> can you put the current tensions into perspective for us? i believe that we saw very basic intentions in 2006 an 2008, how does what is happening now compare to that? >> it's small compare to that. the deaths in 2006 to 2008 were something like five times what they are today. there is an up tick in violence in iraq maybe even a doubling in some weeks of deaths in iraq, and it's a level of violence that would be totally unacceptable to me or you, and is also to most iraqis. but it is nothing yet

and the kurds or the shia and the news and so on.nd i think we had -- because we had a presence, we had leverage. and that leverage, i think, had we been able to maintain a residual force, i think we could have used that leverage over the last year or year and a half or so to try to push malki harder to be more inclusive. >> and therefore, it is essential, even though karzai being -- >> karzai. >> karzai. [laughter] and is being therefore difficult, unimaginably misunderstanding. >> i write in the book that karzai's probably our most challenging allied since charles de gaulle. what they both have in common is that we put both of them in place, for all practical purposes, and they were solely dependent on us. and yet each wanted to be recognized as the leader of his people and was very sensitive to pride and sovereignty and so on. and i think we haven't paid enough attention to that piece of karzai. >> there is a critical difference between de gaulle in karzai, having to do with corruption and winning a war and other things. let me ju

shia fighters from iraq now going to play in syria. the same sunni fighters were operating in syria and the al qaeda affiliate. the islamic state of iraq and the lamont all chomp is fighting on both sides. iran and hizballah involved especially in syria this sectarianism is spreading we see not only across the arc of the lamont but into the gulf as well they passed the point of no return. well i think in large part we have other still very good reason to pursue geneva to the efforts to negotiate a peace or lease a cease fire and syria. i'd like to be proven wrong but think it's very very unlikely that there'll be a success there i think that the us and regimes so far gone it has been such horrible things to its people. that the chances of the awesome regime itself the whole white minority being able to continue ruling syria is not possible certainly not without continued iranian support financed a new and small are fighting on the ground on their behalf. meanwhile you've got a situation where once there was a relatively moderate sunni

sunni versus shia. authoritarian versus reformers. islamists.versus and then overlaid on all of that is whether artificially created states, such as libya, syria, and iraq, that contain historically adversarial ethnic groups, tribes and religions can hold together absent repression or whether centrifugal forces and historic forces will tear those countries apart. you have four very different but interconnected conflicts going on in the middle east now. it will be a big challenge for the united states going forward and frankly that is one of the reasons why i think the book has contemporary value. towhat would be your device the president at this moment about that, the choices we have? everyday i read an article about how we no longer have the kind of influence we did have. because of all the factors you just suggested. we are in a much different place and there may be "a power vacuum" and some of the powers and some of the countries that may have looked to us for leadership don't do that anymore. >> i think there is a perception in the region th

y previene todo. >> oigan esto, la shia es la fuente vegetal con mÁs contenido de omega 3 mÁs que elaciÓn de llenar y nos quita el hambre que mÁs se puede pedir, volvemos al estudio. >> me encantÓ cecilia, gracias. >> bueno, el video de una patrulla que muestra o un oficial haciendo mucho mÁs que perseguir a los chicos malos ha causado sensaciÓn en las imÁgenes el agente se luciÓ al interactuar y jugar a la pelota con este inocente mientras tanto hacÍa una inspecciÓn de rutina valora la calidad humana del agente que sacÓ de su tiempo para atender la necesidad de niÑos y no dejar que jugara sÓlo. >> como siempre el deporte trae a la comunidad. >> no hay deportes nos acompaÑa y el lunes empezamos la noche con mucha acciÓn. el domingo intenso especialmente en el fÚtbol americano tambiÉn, nos acompaÑa como dicen con toda la informaciÓn y mucho mÁs. >> muy buenas tardes, ya conocemos quienes serÁn los protagonista del super bowl 48 y ademÁs uno de los nuestros se luciÓ en espaÑa. >> aquÍ vamos a ver adelante el resumen deportivo tambiÉn que estÁ pasando mas adelante el resumen. les contam

. >> how much of it is sunni versus shia? >> our experience in iran shows that sunnis and shia have never been fighting against each other. officially in iran, we do not have such issues. the point is that mainly, i think, some in the world are trying to show that this is a fight between sunni and shia. even if they are right, we have to try to stop it. >> you support hezbollah? you want to see assad stay in power is because it gives you access to send arms and other material to hezbollah in lebanon. correct? >> this is not the whole story. the syrians help us a lot. what you say about syria, the instability, the integrity of the syrian is very important to us and the region. this is the responsibility of the syrian people. that is why we have supported any kind of an initiative to stop -- to bring together the opposition groups. i am not talking about the terrorist groups. we want to solve the problem and come up with what we want to see for the future of the country. >> how strong the commitment to the individual bashar al-

the attack underscored the deep divide between shia and sunni muslims. the bomb went off in a commercial and residential district controlled by the shia militant group hezbollah. it tore the front off buildings and left wreckage smoldering in the street. hezbollah cordoned off nearby roads. >> translator: i'm really worried about the security situation in lebanon. i'm not sure if i can go back home from the office every day. >> no one has claimed responsibility, but the attack came less than a week after a car bomb killed a former finance minister who was sunni. the civil war in neighboring syria has fuelled situations in lebanon. many sunnis support the syrian opposition. >>> the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged northeastern japan in march 2011 killed more than 18,000 people. giant waves have pummelled the region many times in the distant past, as well, and residents have tried to leave records of these events. now, some researchers believe the old accounts can help prevent future disasters. nhk world reports. >> reporter: an amateur historian, she e

the rest of iraq is majority shia. it's a shia-dominated government. is shia-dominated as well. and what the prime minister is telling the army right now is when they shell fallujah when they attack fallujah, and that may be beginning right -- may be happening right now. there were some elements of it happening over the weekend. to avoid civilian casualties. a lot of people trying to get out of fallujah as well over the weekend. but what this is, the prime minister's defining this as an uprising by al qaeda. the people in the fallujah say, no, this is the tribes, the sunni tribes against and angry with the shia-dominated government. but whatever the nature, and it's very hard to tell on the ground there. getting accurate information is tough. whatever the nature, john kerry has said and was saying this weekend from here that the united states is watching very closely, that it will be supporting the iraqi government. it won't be sending any troops. but of course, he said al qaeda in that area are the biggest threat to the region, christine. >> all right

certainly the iranians that have an interest in empowering the shia. am i in iraq and which is a true maliki represents a big problem is that this is not a security issue. it's a political issue with security ramifications the united states has been engaging maliki non stop since two thousand and six to treat the city's with respect to bring in the cities and to share political power with his knees and he is ignore that request advice demand. every time. do not say egg is it that simple. no i don't think it's going to be easy but i think i'd certainly be keeping pressure governments to and follow your attack. i think the fact that iran has asked for its involvement in this situation were actually only worsen things right now because these tensions are the imo than indexing is any acts as the last thing we need is really any kind of regional intervention. i think the us had previously made during say the us had it presents a very strong and well as at broker an end. it tried to speak unto the house of an indexing needs when she hasn't been at level eigh