Goodspeed: As Arab Spring topples dictators, Iran’s influence grows

Not since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after the First World War has the Middle East experienced such comprehensive change.

Dictators have been toppled in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen; Syria is suffering civil war; and rebellion is smouldering in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait.

But it is Iran, one of the oldest and richest civilizations in the area, that has suddenly found a new prominence to match its craving for recognition as a regional power.

“When the Arab Spring is over, Iran could emerge with a sphere of influence stretching from western Afghanistan to the Mediterranean,” said George Friedman, founder of Stratfor Global Intelligence.

He predicts “a massive shift in the balance of power in the region, with Iran moving from a fairly marginal power to potentially a dominant power.”

[More]