A Precarious Flame Aglow in the Middle East

There is a precarious flame of radicalization aglow in the Middle East and unless it is capped quickly, it could flash over into greater extremism engulfing the entire region in wider conflict.

Revealed by the Arab Spring, stoked by authoritarian regimes, repelled by armies, rekindled by Bashar al Assad's war upon his people, glorified by the call to Jihad by some clerics, attracted by astounding gains by the ISIL and the declaration of a Caliphate in territories of Syria and Iraq and catalyzed by revenge killings and attacks between Israelis and Palestinians; this flame is unpredictable.

High unemployment among young men from Gaza to Cairo, along with the systems of affairs that have transgressed in the Middle East in the past couple years, have contributed to a ripe fertile host for radicalization. Gains and losses from the Arab Spring, the Syrian civil war, the take over by the Egyptian army, the outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the rise of ISIL, conflicts of the branches of Islam and the ongoing revenge killing incidents between Israelis, Palestinians and Hamas, are all adding fuel to a flame of unknown destiny.

For peace to reign, contributing parties to conflicts in the Middle East must de-escalate tensions through immediate cease-fires and enter into dialogues to settle differences and concerns.