THERE’S A MEETIN’ HERE TONIGHT

New Islamist alliance alters Mideast dynamic (Mark Mackinnon, Globe and Mail, February, 17th, 2006)

Call it the new "axis of Islam," or, more accurately, the anti-American and anti-Israeli alliance. In the wake of strong performances by Islamist forces at the ballot box in recent months there's a new power rising in the Middle East.

At the Beirut headquarters of Hezbollah, the Shia militia that controls south Lebanon and regularly exchanges fire with the Israeli army, they don't have a name for the new grouping, but there's a definite feeling that the bloc is on the rise, strengthened by Iran's increased willingness to butt heads with the international community and the victory of the militant Hamas movement in the recent Palestinian legislative election.

Hussein Hajj Hassan, one of 14 Hezbollah members in the Lebanese parliament, said the new alliance was cemented in a little-publicized summit in Damascus late last month that was attended by leaders of both Hamas and Hezbollah, as well as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad and Syrian leader Bashar Assad.

Islamic Jihad, another armed Palestinian faction dedicated to the destruction of Israel, was represented at the meeting.

And the Iraqi Shia firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also travelled recently to Damascus for talks.

"If neighbouring Muslim countries are attacked, the Mahdi Army will support them," Mr. al-Sadr said last week after his meeting with Mr. Assad. "I am at the service of Iran and Syria."

Hopefully, we soon will be too.