Takifiris in Syria threaten global security: Analyst

Press TV has interviewed author and journalist Mark Glenn to discuss the situation in Syria.

What follows is a rush transcript of the interview.

Press TV: Now I’d like to just pick up a point that [Hezbollah Secretary General] Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah made in a speech, in which he said that the Takfiri elements in Syria right now are not just a threat to the region, but to the entire world. Do you see it that way as well?

Glenn: Sure, because they are in essence wild dogs without any conscience and without any kind of guidance. And a wild dog that can just as easily attack one innocent group of people can attack any group anywhere in the world. So, in this case they have no compass other than to follow the dictates of a violent nature, which means that very easily, as easily as they can attack innocent people in Syria, or Lebanon, or elsewhere, they could also literally turn on those who have trained them and to attack them as well, meaning the United States and Israel.

Press TV: Indeed, speaking of which Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah pointed out, the Saudi support for these Takfiri elements, earlier a report by Wall Street Journal also bore testament to this fact. What interests do you think the Saudis see in prolonging what’s taking place in Syria, considering that these Takfiri elements are so detrimental not just to the region’s security but as you pointed out, to the whole world?

Glenn: Well, the Saudis see the Syrians as being an extension of Iran and of course Iran is a Shia country, whereas Saudi Arabia is a Sunni country and Saudi Arabia basically is the power house of the Middle East, not the least of which is due to the support it gets from the United States and so given the fact that Iran is sitting there literally right across the Persian Gulf and the fact that Iran is a stable and very steady country and is growing in influence by the day, the very corrupt Saudi family that has been ruling the kingdom now for a century, they are very nervous now because Syria is the connection of Iran to the Arab world and so in that respect this is why the Saudis are so desperate to see the regime of Bashar al-Assad brought down because in their hopes, by binging him down they will be able to effectively sever the connection that exists between Iran’s sole Arab ally in the Middle East, which is Syria.

Press TV: But then it’s not just Sunni versus Shia or Muslim versus Christian now, is it? Because we’ve already seen this alliance as you have just outlined between Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel in prolonging what’s taking place on the ground in Syria?

Glenn: Absolutely, and the other wild card in this is of course Russia. The fact that you have Syria as basically a front door for Iran and also Syria is the front door for Russia. The United States and Saudi Arabia are very nervous about Russia, especially the influence and the respectability that she has gained not just in the Middle East but around the world recently and they are very nervous about the fact that possibly Russia could challenge the United States for dominance in the Middle East and so it is for this reason as well it’s not just a Sunni-Shia conflict as you pointed out but rather a power struggle, a very multi-polar power struggle that could end very badly if it hasn’t already.