Hazime, S.M. The approaches of the Western authors towards the analysis of the contradictions between the Sunnis and the Shias in the Mashriq states (examples of Iran, Lebanon and Syria) in early XXI century.

Abstract: the division between the Sunnis and the Shias in the Muslim world exists for a long time, but in the contemporary history the contradictions between them have never risen to such a great level, as they did in the latest decades. The contradictions inside the confession come forth in the entire Middle Eastern region, rather than just in the domestic politics of certain states. The Russia, the Western and the Middle Eastern studies have always recognized the value of this matter. As it was noted by the Professor Raymond Hinnebusch, any analytical sources on the Middle East should include the understanding of the importance of ethnic and confessional identity. However, there are still disputes among the scientists on the number of issues. Firstly, there is a question on what the causes of escalation of contradictions inside the confession are. Secondly, there is a question whether such contradictions form a purely internal systemic factor existing from the time when the Sunnis and the Shias were first divided, or whether it is being instrumentalized by the political forces. Therefore, the object of this article includes different approaches of scientists and experts to the issues of contradictions between the Sunni and the Shias. The goal of this article is to divide the main publications in this sphere into certain directions. The main methods for achieving the goal were theoretical analysis of scientific literature and inductive analysis. Based upon the results of the studies, one may come to a conclusion that all of the hypotheses may be divided into three directions: constuctivism, neo-realism, and neoconservatism. The practical result of the publication includes use of its results in the studies of internal confessional conflicts in the Middle East and in the world in general.

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