You raise some very good points, and the Syrian riots are perplexing. Iran is the big dog in the ME for sure, and shipping arms to who knows where, but maybe the Muslim Brotherhood is feeling its oats now and, seeing its own potential in recent weeks, has decided to make a power grab and run the show. We are in the first quarter of the big game.
Possibly, but crossing Iran would be a very dangerous gambit at this juncture. I guess we'll know if we see Hizballah crushing the revolts in Syria. If we don't see that, I think it's safe to assume an arrangement between the mullahs and the Brotherhood is in place. Where Assad and Ahmadinejad factor into that, I haven't a clue.
What a tangled web that godforsaken region is.