"We must unite against the common enemy..."

"The Judean Peoples' Front?!"

"No no, the Romans!"

According to Juan Cole, in signing the Mecca Declaration, Sunni and Shi'i clerics from Iraq have resolved that, essentially, there is no major difference between Shi'i and Sunni Muslims. This is a truly historic landmark. Cole cites a story in al-Sharq al-Awsat. Here's another story.

And speaking of conquerors of the Middle East, get over to LN's always-hip Strange Land to see an animated flash map of Middle East empires over the past 5000 years. (Even though it does leave off all invasions since 1948, including US, Israeli, Moroccan, Iraqi, Turkish, and other attempted or achieved conquests...)