Iran and Saudi Arabia

Apparently, Saudi Arabia executed a non-violent Shiite Muslim cleric recently and it has created a serious situation between them and Iran.

Backstory:  The cleric in question, Nimr Al-Nimr, had called for the peaceful dissolution of the Saudi royal family back during the Arab Spring.  Additionally, he was a Shiite cleric in a minority Shiite neighborhood (Shiites are generally repressed by the Sunni Muslim majority). He had influence among the Shiite members of the Saudi Arabia community however and thus in 2012 Al-Nimr was arrested and imprisoned.  Al-Nimrs brother called for peaceful protests to have him set free.  These protests were not all peaceful and then after Al-Nimrs execution tensions heightened including attacks on embassies.   The results is that both countries banished each others dignitaries and they have cut all relations.  What is more serious is the resulting saber rattling going on between the two including Iran promising divine retribution.  If this should erupt in violence there is no doubt that ISIS/ISIL will side with Saudi Arabia.  Additionally, the Shiite communities will likely side with Iran and thus cause the middle east to erupt in greater violence with Iraq potentially crushed between the two warring countries.

Final Thought:  This is a serious situation and needs to be paid attention to.  We already have what amounts to a proxy war between the United States and Russia with respect to ISIS/ISIL and the Syrian conflict.  World War III is well in hand in my view and its escalation bodes ill for the world at large.