In fact, the Middle East – buffeted by the Iraq War, the Arab Spring, and the sectarian showdown in Syria – is unsure where to go next: liberal democracy and the rule of law, or Islamist rule? Yet, for the Sunni world, Iraq is the mistake that not only must not be repeated, but also must be reversed.
事实上，中东——饱受伊拉克战争、阿拉伯之春和叙利亚宗派大决战摧残——并不知道未来向何处去：是自由民主和法治精神，还是伊斯兰教规？但是，对逊尼派来说，伊拉克是一个错误，不仅不能重蹈覆辙，而且必须反其道而行之。于是，逊尼派阿拉伯人和什叶派波斯人仍把伊拉克视为争地，视为问题而不是国家，视为世界所熟知的“大博弈”。