Resource maps of ME

http://www.vox.com/a/maps-explain-the-middle-east

 Great maps.  pl  

Comments

[mike]

Good maps Colonel, thnx for the link. I do though think that two of the maps on Syria are dated, #s 22 and 23. Especially 23, the refugee problem is now two or three times as bad.

[Patrick Bahzad]

PL, great link !

[bth]

Col. I pulled together these open source maps on IS controlled key resources earlier this week, wheat silos, dams, oil and gas fields, refineries, etc. that you might find useful. Original sources are referenced. http://www.minstrelboy.blogspot.com/2015/05/islamic-state-territory-wheat-silos.html

[confusedponderer]

Thanks for that!

Random thought: It struck me that the Shia crescend geographically resembles the fertile crescend. Shia vs. Sunni - at heart the old farmer vs herdsmen conflict?

[AbuAbdullah]

Coincidence. The modern incarnation of Shiism in the area dates to the 17th century in the case of Iran, and 150-250 years in the case of most of Iraq

[William R. Cumming]

Many thanks for these highly interesting maps.

[Babak Makkinejad]

And the word "Shia" is an abbreviation for the "Shiaton Ali" - the Party/Partisans of Ali who was also cousin of the Prophet.

The phrase was coined by King Abdullah of Jordan himself from the House of Prophet - Hashem.

It was a very very poor decision by him; not the "Shia Crescent" is all that stands between his throne and ISIS.

[elaine]

Speaking of maps & aerial views I'm still wondering why we didn't smack ISIS
when they were setting up on the outskirts of Ramadi. I recall some lame excuse about cloudy weather obscuring the view. What happened to the ONYX
"We Own the Night" team? I thought they had the ability to see through clouds, the night & even down into the earth.

[Amatzia Baram]

Excellent! Thank you Pat!
Amatzia

[confusedponderer]

AbuAbdullah, Babak,
thanks!

[anna-marina]

On Egypt:
Sisi ["this beautiful thing we have found in our lives"] "got all of his military training for many years in the United States military academy." Wow.
Egypt’s Descent into Despotism: https://consortiumnews.com/2015/05/30/egypts-descent-into-despotism/

[turcopolier]

anna-marina

"the United States military academy" The USMA is the four year undergraduate college at West Point, New York. Sisi has never had anything to do with that institution. People should understand what they are writing about before they do so. pl