Remember, the Bush regime took out Saddam Hussein, who was a Sunni. The religious leadership in the Middle East region was balanced at the state level for decades, by taking out Saddam Hussein that balance was upset.
Iran is considered a Shia state, they funded Hezbollah, and Hezbollah used that money to attack Israel. So after the Bush regime toppled Saddam Hussein, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia warmed up to Israel, the common enemy? Well Shia Iran of course.
Its very likely that discussions in the KSA about what to do to redress this issue of balance in the Middle East region were under way before Saddam Hussein was caught. the Seeds of what we're seeing happen in Iraq in 2014 were likely sown 10 years ago.
The decision the KSA faced was to let Iran influence the region in ways the KSA may not have a lot of influence in, or be a player and counter the Iran/Shia influence in a more direct fashion.
The KSA was never going to let a Shite regime in Iraq stand.
ISTANBUL — The long-predicted dissolution of a centrally controlled Iraq ruled from Baghdad appeared closer to reality on Thursday as radical Islamist fighters advanced through the country with little interference from what remained of Iraq’s disintegrating security forces.
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Juan Cole wrote in 2006
Break-Up of Iraq Threatens Mideast Stability
The NYT reported in December of 2011:
The escalating political crisis underscores the divisions among Iraq’s three main factions — Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds — that were largely papered over while the American military maintained a presence here.
ForeignPolicy.com
Why the ISIS invasion of Iraq is really a war between Shiites and Sunnis for control of the Middle East.
6:57 PM PT: Let me be clearer, this was going to happen, one way or the other, the region would find balance.