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GreenCurtain_070913.ID_WB = 20759182;
GreenCurtain_070913.sPubDate = "9/13/2007 6:08:24 PM GMT";
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GreenCurtain_070913.appHeader = "The New Middle East divide: The Green Curtain";
GreenCurtain_070913.appFooter = "SOURCE: NBC News";
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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>Sunni Arab states &#150; Saudi Arabia, Egypt,and Jordan &#150; along with Israel and the United States.   ";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>Iran, Hezbollah, and, sometimes, Syria.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>To contain Iran and prevent it from going nuclear.<p>Maintain dominance in the Persian Gulf and keep open the Straights of Hormuz - the world&#146;s most important oil shipping route.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>To dominate the Persian Gulf and expand Iranian influence. <br>Prevent U.S.-Sunni hegemony in the Middle East.<p>Provide an alternative to the region&#146;s underdogs, including the Palestinians, and the Shiites of Lebanon/Arab Gulf states.<br>";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>200,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.<p>U.S. military headquarters in Qatar.<br>U.S. naval bases in Bahrain and patrols in the Straits of Hormuz.<br> <br>$62 billion worth of new American weapons, in deals floated by the U.S. administration this summer. The weapons would be destined mainly for Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and all likely pointed at Iran.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>The Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, and allied militias in Iraq.<br>Iranian naval patrols in the Persian Gulf and Straights of Hormuz.<p>Medium range missiles.<p>An active nuclear development program, which Iran says is strictly for civilian use. <br>";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>Record oil prices have given the Gulf States huge capital to buy weapons and spread their influence.<p>U.S. military power in the region.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>The United States quagmire in Iraq.<p>The destruction of traditional rivals for regional power: Saddam Hussein&#146;s Iraq and the Taliban&#146;s Afghanistan.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>The Iraq war has drained U.S. resources and is widely unpopular in the region.<p>The long-stalled Israeli Palestinian peace process.<p>Israel&#146;s poor performance in last summer&#146;s war with Hezbollah.<p><br>";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>Economic and political isolation.<p>Increased domestic frustration with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad&#146;s economic politics and increased social restrictions.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Sunni bloc:</b><br>The U.S. wants to impose more sanctions on Tehran, citing a lack of cooperation on international nuclear inspections.<p>Leaked reports suggest the U.S. has war plans to attack Iran if necessary.";

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GreenCurtain_070913[i-1].body = "<b>Shiite bloc:</b><br>The new leader of Iran's Republican Guard has said Iran could act against U.S. bases in Iraq and Afghanistan, Israel and in the Straights of Hormuz.";

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