Islamists' new ally: global warming

"Jewish groups have briefed Congress on a new threat to stability in the Middle East: Global warming.

The idea that changes wrought by global warming — flooded coastlines, intense droughts and increased competition for water, strong storms — could destabilize volatile parts of the world is not new. Retired American generals, task forces within the Defense Department and even the CIA have warned of global warming’s geopolitical stakes.

A team of Israeli experts brought the message to Congress, with a warning that moderate Arab regimes — already under fire in many cases from Islamic extremist factions in their own countries — could be among the most stressed by climate changes. And that, in turn, could threaten America’s longtime ally in the region."