Iran: A Bridge too Far?

[albed]

Lol, you can see why multi prefers copy and paste to his own knowledge and opinions.

[multi]

the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Urdu: اسلامی جمہوریۂ پاکستان), is a republic in South Asia, marking the region where South Asia converges with Central Asia and the Middle East.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan

[RDixon]

When you start hearing about Herat in the news: The shit is about to hit the fan.

[Drakonix]

I too have the mighty power of copy and paste.

From the link in my previous post:

The Middle East (or West Asia) sits where Africa, Asia and Europe meet. The countries of the Middle East are all part of Asia, but for clarity reasons we geographically show them here as a separate landmass.

Opinions vary as to what countries make up the modern definition of the Middle East. Historically, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been long associated with the Middle East, but in recent years, some sources now consider them to be more closely aligned with Europe based on their modern economic and political trends. We have moved in that direction, and the same applies for the island country of Cyprus, as it does for Georgia, the former Russian republic.

The African country of Egypt is still thought (by some) to be in the Middle East, as well as the northern African countries that border the Mediterranean Sea.

We attempt here to show the modern definition, but in world of geography, there are often many answers or (personal or political opinions) to what appears to be a simple question.

If you look at the map I posted, you will see that all of Pakistan is north of the most southern area of Saudi Arabia. All of Pakistan is north of the Tropic of Cancer, which forms a good line for comparison.

I really don't think Afghanistan and Pakistan should be lumped in with The Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

NOT recommended: trying to convince everyone in Pakistan that they are a part of India, and convince everyone in India that they are a part of Pakistan.

As the article points out, Egypt is commonly held as part of the middle east even though it’s in the African continent (not western Asia). The point is that in common usage of today, Pakistan is considered a middle eastern country.

Besides, you have to be very careful when you draw east-west bearing lines to separate North from South. Look what happened with the Mason-Dixon line in the U.S.. It was expensive, to the tune of approximately 620,000 dead in the U.S. Civil War.

[multi]

Good show, ol'chap

I really don't think Afghanistan and Pakistan should be lumped in with The Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.

Opinions vary as to what countries make up the modern definition of the Middle East.

Opinions are like ?

The Middle East defines a geographical area, but does not have precise defined borders. The modern definition of the region includes:Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Egypt, with its Sinai Peninsula in Asia, is considered part of the Middle East, although most of the country lies geographically in North Africa. According to international media, North African nations without Asian links, such as Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, are increasingly being called North African. Other countries that are sometimes included in this definition are those of the Caucasus region (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia), Cyprus,Afghanistanand North Africa (the Maghreb), Sudan, Djibouti, and Somalia.

The Middle East primarily consists of arid and semi-arid, with grasslands, rangelands, and deserts. Water shortages are a problem in many parts of the Middle East, with rapidly growing populations increasing demands for water, while salinization and pollution threaten water supplies. Major rivers, including the Nile and the Euphrates, provide sources for irrigation water to support agriculture.

Often considered Middle Eastern

* Near East, or Levant
o Israel
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Jordan
o Iraq
* Bilad al-Sham (Historical)
o Israel
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Jordan
* Greater Syria (Historical)
o Lebanon
o Syria
o Often parts of Jordan and Israel
* Arabia or Arabian Peninsula
o Saudi Arabia
o Kuwait
o Bahrain
o Qatar
o United Arab Emirates
o Oman
o Yemen
* Persian Gulf States
o Iran (Persia)
o Arabian states except Yemen
* Egypt

Sometimes considered Middle Eastern

* Caucasus
o Azerbaijan
o Georgia
o Armenia
* Anatolia
o Turkey
* Mediterranean Sea
o Cyprus
* The Maghreb
o Morocco
o Western Sahara (SADR)
o Algeria
o Tunisia
o Libya
o Mauritania
* Central Asia
o Afghanistan
o Turkmenistan
o Uzbekistan
o Tajikistan
* Iranian plateau
o Pakistan
* Sudan
* Somalia
* Eritrea

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_the_Middle_East

[albed]

Hmmm, why didn't multi just wiki "middle east"? Maybe he did and found it wasn't to his liking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_east

Map of the Middle East today

[Ramona_A_Stone]

[multi]

Musharraf imposes emergency rule
Police and troops have sealed off the city's political and judicial core
Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has declared emergency rule and suspended the country's constitution.

Troops have been deployed inside state-run TV and radio stations, while independent channels have gone off air.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who condemned the moves, has been replaced and is being confined to the Supreme Court with 10 other judges.

It comes as the court was due to rule on the legality of Gen Musharraf's re-election victory in October.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7076670.stm

_________________________

Iran is Bad, Pakistan is Good

• Pakistan has a military dictator who came to power in a coup, Iran has a democratically elected President.
  
• Pakistan has nuclear weapons, Iran may be acquiring the “knowledge” of nuclear, but according to El Baradei (UN’s nuclear inspector) there is no evidence of nuclear bombs.
  
• Pakistan supported the Taliban and currently harbors Bin Laden, Iran was openly hostile to the Taliban. America supports Pakistan and wants to bomb Iran “back to the stone age. WTF?
  
• The leader of Pakistan is the president and the leader of Iran is not.

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