Sunnis and Shiites in the Middle East - Additional Maps on the "Shia Crescent"

Map of the Shia Crescent

In my previous post, I introduced the notion of the so-called "Shia Crescent".  This is a facinating concept, and if you have time, please do read this post.  It essentially refers to an arc of power by Shia dominated countries or regimes, running from Iran through Iraq and Syria (the Alawites are Shia remember) and into Hezbollah in Lebanon.  The Sunni states of Jordan and the Persian Gulf have been playing up this fear of the Shia Crescent the last several years.

I included a map of the Shia Crescent in my previous post, and I thought I would just include a couple of additional maps above and below. Below is a map showing the demographics of Shiite populations in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon.  Note:  The Alawite Shiites in  Syria comprise only approximately 15% of the country, but are a critical part of the Shia Crescent as they (for now) dominate the regime. Note: I am at @Global_Politico on Twitter