If this is the level of Coalition analysis of the "Grand Political Chessboard" then they are just as useless as Labour.

It is the International Central Banks who control the West.They have done so since 1913 with the instigaton of the US Federal Reserve.This is a private Cartel of Banks who create from nothing most of the money for the USA and the rest of the West to function.They own our productivity and the inflation they create.They loan it all back to us to be repaid with interest.They have created debt which cannot be repaid.This is why the West is totally impotent,while China who has many Govt banks that create 80% of their money debt free can grow at 12% pa, while the West languishes in debt and no growth.

This cartel of banks also have major share holdings in oil companies,drug companies and arms manufacturers.It is their interests to create wars and steal resources from countries like Iraq,Afghanistan,Libya and Iran.

The criminal war mongering imperialists are on our side.Assad of Syria is no angel but the New World Order criminals are far worse.

I think that by 2020 the 'west' will have little interest in the endless machinations of the disfunctional middle east states.

America and Canada are in a position to recover all the hydrocarbons they need for under $60 a barrel. Already China and America have reduced their middle east hydrocarbon imports by 20%. Most middle east states need a minimum $90 pb to keep their economies in the black. Soon America and Canada will be net exporters.

For years now the Middle East states have held a knife to the throat of whe west, necessitating appeasement and intervention, driven by self interest of course.
Let them close the Straits of Hormuz...who would care?

Whilst it would be distresfull, the inevitable bloodbath as the Shia, Wahabi, Sunni and whatever other tribal affiliations continue their centuries old warring, we can just leave it to the good old efficient and so so effective UN to sort out.

As Rhrosty suggests, we should be looking to our own self interest which lies in developing our resources to the north.