What can be done to end Brother Fighting Brother in Washington?

To New Mexicans, Middle Eastern people appear homogeneous, which makes understanding the conflict among the people of the Middle East challenging. I hope to illuminate those differences and what Washington can do. Lastly, it serves as a warning to all Americans about what can happen when we focus on what separates us, not what unites us.

Arab & Persian

In 1975, while attending Oregon State University, I learned the nuances of Middle Eastern politics during our civil engineering material testing class. OSU had a large population of Middle Eastern students because OSU had a well-respected Engineering program, and OSU was a relatively conservative institution, unlike UC Berkeley.
As we all crowded around the breaking of a concrete test cylinder, one Middle Eastern student took several steps forward to get a closer look and blocked out half the class. The instructor admonished him, and he stepped back. My buddy from Beirut said to me, “Stinking Persian.” I responded, “Aren’t you?” He stated, “I am Arab (Sunni), and he is Persian (Shia).”
In 1975, a Civil War erupted in Lebanon between the Sunni, Shia, and Christians. An estimated 120,000 died, creating an exodus of almost 1 million people. A year later, my buddy’s parents fled Beirut and moved in with him and his wife. In 1978, the Shah of Iran was overthrown, and the OSU Persian students quietly voiced their concerns about returning to Iran. One friend continued to seek advanced degrees to ensure she kept her student visa.

The Kurds

In 2011, our company received a task order contract with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, allowing us to negotiate the construction of a small vocational school in Irbil, Iraq. Irbil is located in the Kurdish (Kurds are predominantly Sunni and some Christian, Jewish, and Yezidi) region of Iraq (there is also a Kurdish region in Iran and Turkey). Since Iraq blocked shipments into the Kurdish region, all material had to be shipped into Turkey and trucked to Irbil. At this time, Iraq was ruled by Sunni.

The Divide

Judaism began four thousand years ago in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) with Sarah and Abraham (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all consider Abraham their prophet). Since then, Judaism has been connected to the Middle East and North Africa.
When Prophet Mohammad died in 632 AD, he left no male heirs, so someone had to be appointed an heir to his religious and political legacy of Islam. The majority and elites, the Sunni branch, named a close friend of Mohammad the leader. The minority Shia chose a family member, Ali, Mohammad’s cousin and son-in-law as their leader. In 681 AD, the battle of Karbala ensued for control of the two legacies, and Ali died in the process.

The Empires of the Middle East

The Persian Empire (539 to 330 BC) spanned from India to Greece and the Black Sea to Thebes in Egypt.
The Ottoman Empire (1299-1922) controlled much of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa.
British Empire (1914 - 1956) controlled from the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf.
French Empire (1830-1950s) controlled Algeria, Britain, Aden, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, and Morocco.

What Does the Future Hold

In 2018, I attended a briefing on the Middle East at the US Republican Senate Committee offices in Washington. We discussed the implications of Iran gaining nuclear weapons. I asked the Middle East expert two questions, “Since Iran is a Shia country ruled by Shia religious leaders, Iran obtains nuclear weapons. I assume the Sunni countries, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey, would obtain nuclear weapons. What is your opinion?” “I will get back to you.” “If Iran obtains nuclear weapons. I would not be surprised if Iran did not hesitate to sacrifice a million Palestinians (Sunni) to destroy Israel. What is your opinion?” No Answer.
This week, Hamas and its political, financial, weapons supplier, and advisor, Iran, planned and executed the murder of Israel's infants, children, parents, and grandparents. The execution was up close and personal by the Hamas terrorists, and I would expect the Hamas terrorists to be splattered with the blood of those they murdered.
If Iranian-backed Hamas is stopping Palestinians from fleeing the country so they can be used as human shields, the Iranians will not hesitate to sacrifice the Palestinians in a nuclear exchange with Israel.

What Can the United States Do

1. The House of Representatives is in chaos because eight Republicans and two-hundred and eight Democrats voted to Vacate the Speaker. Now is the time for eight Democrats and two hundred and ten Republicans to return order to the House of Representatives.    
2. The President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Chief of Staff will come forward to explain how the World will avoid another World War or Nuclear War.
3. The President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Joint Chief of Staff, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader address Americans and the World that America is United we will not be Tread Upon.
4. The President, Senate Majority Leader, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader will address Americans that a second Lend-Lease Act to Promote the Defense of America is needed.
5. The President, Secretary of Homeland Security, Attorney General, The Senate Majority Leader, the Senate Minority Leader, the Speaker of the House, and the House Minority Leader to address America that non-citizens celebrating the second genocide of Jews have forfeited their right to remain in America and must go.

Lastly
We need to go no further than the Middle East to see how intolerance can result in brother fighting brother. We cannot allow intolerance at home to destroy our Great Country.
We cannot allow partisan politics to hinder Congress’s ability to govern. Partisan politics was at its worst when eight Republicans and two-hundred and ten Democrats plunged the House of Representatives into chaos.