Jesus, Mary and Joeyboy. Let’s consider the world’s hottest spots for the week ahead, beginning with this overview.

Rounded to the closest million by size, here’s most of the countries in or near the volatile Middle East. ( I would have added a few more like Somalia, at least, but this was drawn from a specific website, and will suffice). The highest percentage Shia populations - at least 25% - are shown in bold.

Pakistan (Central Asia): 159 million population, 77% Sunni, 20% Shia
Egypt (Africa): 76 million, 90% Sunni
Iran (Middle East): 69 million, 90% Shia, 9% Sunni
Turkey (Middle East): 67 million, 85% Sunni, 15% Shia
Sudan (Africa): 39 million, 70% Sunni
Morocco (Africa): 32 million, 99% Sunni
Algeria (Africa): 32 million, 99% Sunni
Afghanistan (Central Asia): 28 million, 80% Sunni, 19% Shia
Saudi Arabia (Middle East): 26 million, 95% Sunni, 5% Shia
Iraq (Middle East): 25 million, 63% Shia, 34% Sunni
Yemen (Middle East): 20 million, 63% Sunni, 36% Shia
Syria (Middle East): 18 million, 74% Sunni, 13% Shia
Tunisia (Africa): 10 million, 98% Sunni
Azerbaijan (Central Asia): 8 million, 67% Shia, 29% Sunni
Libya (Africa): 6 million, 97% Sunni
Israel (Middle East): 6 million, 15% Sunni
Jordan (Middle East): 6 million, 92% Sunni, 2% Shia
Lebanon (Middle East): 4 million, 36% Shia, 22% Sunni
Palestinian Territory (Middle East): 3 million, 95% Sunni
Oman (Middle East): 3 million, 21% Sunni, 2% Shia
U.A.E. (Middle East): 3 million, 80% Sunni, 16% Shia
Kuwait (Middle East): 2 million, 60% Sunni, 25% Shia
Qatar (Middle East): 1 million, 86% Sunni, 14% Shia
Bahrain (Middle East): 1 million, 70% Shia, 30% Sunni

In square miles, the four largest countries are Saudi Arabia and Iran (in the Middle East), Algeria and Sudan (in Africa). But as the map shows, the 3 neighbors of Azerbaijan, Iran and Iraq are each majority Shia. All the other Muslim countries, except small Lebanon and tiny Bahrain, are majority Sunni. (That map site also gives a solid overview of the historic background that created the split between the two major Muslim sects.)

Now let’s consider the major terror organizations:

Al Qaeda: Sunni, trained mostly in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan. A loose, ethnically diverse global alliance of terrorist organizations, headed by Osama Bin Laden. Size estimates range from 2,000 to 20,000.

Hezbollah: Shia, based in Lebanon. Actually a major political party in that country, principally claims to oppose Israeli aggression. But its attacks on Americans in the Middle East in the 1980s were the largest anti-US attacks by terrorists prior to 9-11. It denounced the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center but stayed silent on Al Qaida’s simultaneous attack on the Pentagon. It is also considered a legitimate resistance group and a social service organization by many nations. Initially inspired by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini, it now operates fairly independently of Iranian influence, though many of its weapons and much of its financing comes from Iran. It’s estimated fighting force may be as large as 11,000.

Hamas: Shia, based in Palestinian territory. In many ways, has followed in Hezbollah’s footsteps, doing far more than armed aggression, politically and socially. Its focus is resistance to Israel’s occupation of its territories, and the complete elimination of Israel. It’s funded by Iran, Palestinian expats, and private benefactors in Saudi Arabia and other Arab states, per the US State Dept. But its principal funder is the Sunni Saudi Arabia, not Shia Iran. While most US allies consider it a terror organization, Wikipedia reports: “In a 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Survey, 62% of Palestinians have a favorable opinion of Hamas, as do majorities or pluralities in Jordan and Morocco. Opinions of Hamas are divided in Egypt and Kuwait, and Hamas is viewed negatively in Turkey and Lebanon.”

Grouping the terror organizations only makes sense in their common emnity towards Israel. Longtime support of Israel by the US and UK, especially, draws the ire of each, though Hezbollah quit targeting us after our forces left Iran and Lebanon twenty years ago, Hamas hasn’t ever been actively aggressive towards us and Al Qaida’s been our principal active adversary in the last two decades. Recent warnings from the latter’s top two leaders suggest fresh aggression towards us and our allies may be near.

Now let’s consider current events among the hotspot nations, beginning with the huge - and nuclear - Pakistan. A major political/religious party there doesn’t seem very happy lately. And on Wednesday Tuesday, General Petraeus will be telling Congress that troop drawdowns in Iraq will be limited to faster troop rotations (they’ll go home in 12 months instead of 15 because they’ve been pushed past exhaustion) but otherwise - after the Iraq government’s failed move against its largest Shia sect in Basra - everything wrong is no longer the fault of Al Qaida, but Iran. In reality, Iran provides more support to Bush pals Ahmad Chalabi, Prime Minister al-Maliki, and the other major Shia sect, SCIRI (also favored by Bush), more than the support it gives to Bush target Moqtada al-Sadr.

Whatever. Such sabre-rattling against Iran is always an effective way to drive oil prices up. And the mainstream media is neglecting to mention how US troops have been targeting al-Sadr’s forces in Baghdad since the Basra assault, with civilian casualties skyrocketing anew. While Petraeus is testifying Wednesday, without full discussion of the rationale for Bush’s choice to target al-Sadr, al-Sadr’s calling for a million man protest on Baghdad streets the same day.

In reality, the US is conducting a siege on Sadr City neighborhoods, blocking medical and food supplies from reaching it. That strategy, historically, is an effort to punish the civilian population, trying to force them to turn against al-Sadr’s militia by blocking access to their essential human needs. They’ll characterize the siege as a defensive operation, though it’s clear al-Maliki’s been the aggressor throughout the latest round of violence.

Whatever.

Returning to the largest nations on our list, NATO ally Turkey’s pissed because Iraq’s Kurdish rebels (also supportive of Iraq’s prime minister) have been launching cross border guerrilla attacks. In Sudan, the Darfur genocide continues. In Afghanistan, a fresh Spring offensive by the resurgent Taliban is likely once more.

Also this week, our government and Israel’s plan to reveal details of Israel’s attack on a secret installation in Syria last September, will likely implicate Iran and nuclear North Korea, even while some of the detail will continue to be withheld. Such selective information release is known as propaganda, as it’s designed to drive opinion in a desired direction while the full truth remains unknown.

Scaring the US public and driving speculative oil prices higher remains Bush’s premier talent. And it’s not just his oil cronies who profit from the deadly games. 28% of Congress profits from defense industry investments, including a few Democrats (at least one of whom might surprise you).

So seven of the largest twelve nations in that volatile region are in the mix this week. Shall we consider making it eight? The largest oil supplier, Saudi Arabia, remains a driving force behind much of the Bush strategery. After all, it and most of the region have Sunni majorities and they continue to work against Shia unity, so the onus can be off Iraq’s Sunnis or the Sunni terror group, al-Qaida. It works to their advantage to keep Sunni sects fighting each other, even though Saudi Arabia’s government is one of the world’s most barbarous and repressive societies. Beheadings, after all, did not originate within terror groups, but in nations like Saudi Arabia. Almost all the 9-11 attackers originated there, and were funded from there, too.

But it’s Iran we’re supposed to keep our eyes on.

Whatever.

All in all, though, it looks like there’s plenty to keep our speculative economic drivers uncertain and alarmed this week. And if you recall Newspeak from Orwell’s 1984 or the adeptness Republicans have shown in naming their interest groups in similar ways, you’ll remain leery of the pronouncements of the U.S. Institute of Peace, which has a heavy Republican policy tilt despite its claim to be a bipartisan thinktank. They maintain that a withdrawal from Iraq “could lead to massive chaos and even genocide”. The massive present chaos just needs to be ignored and we can see the same numbers killed over a longer period of time by continuing our slow motion genocide approach.

The reality is we illegally invaded a sovereign nation for trumped up reasons to take down a leader who had never threatened us militarily nor even attacked one American except troops sent to attack Iraq. We had no right to invade in 2003, more than 2/3rds of Iraqis want us out, more than 2/3rds of Americans want our troops out and even the Democratic nominees for President are calling for an exit that’s too slow to achieve our best interests. History provides numerous examples to demonstrate the rare circumstances necessary to make an occupation successful and the circumstances in Iraq fit the profile of the far more numerous occupations doomed to fail.

The predictable outcome then is simply more US troop deaths while pursuing an effort that will gain us nothing. Unless you own oil or defense industry stocks. Or can count on corporate donations for your re-election campaign. Short of those advantages, most Americans, most Iraqis and most US troops are just shit out of luck.

But whatever.

Leave it to the experts. Trust the mainstream media to keep you fully informed. Trust the status quo. In May, you may get a $600 rebate, or $1200 or $300, depending. Which I’d advise you to use on your next gasoline fillup, so you can get to the funerals of US troops that Bush has never attended. If you have any spare change left over, spend it on overpriced groceries and a nice, new resume - just in case. It can’t get any worse, can it?

Whatever. If that’s what you want to count on, I guess you’ll continue to remain meek, silent, compliant and scared. After all, that’s the new American shining beacon on the hill: “thank you, Sir, may I have another?”

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Update: The second most populous Muslim country in the area, Egypt, appears to be having its own problems, too.

Nearly 40 percent Egypt’s 76 million people live below or near the poverty line of $2 a day. The prices of staples such as cooking oil and rice have nearly doubled in recent months, amid widespread shortages of government-subsidized bread.

Many Egyptians in Cairo responded to the calls for nationwide action by skipping work or school. Many shops were closed in the capital, and traffic was significantly lighter than usual in the normally car-clogged streets.

In an effort to thwart mass protests downtown, the government sent hordes of riot police to many of Cairo’s main squares to intimidate people from showing up.

That’s 40%, or 30 million people making near or below $2/day. These are not fanatical Muslims out to kill Americans, even if they are angry about their government’s ties to our country. People at the edge of extinction usually just work and scrounge to survive. In such countries, it’s usually the young (full of passion), better educated who watch the misery surrounding them that and get motivated to retaliate, often inspired by a charismatic ideological rebel. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Al Qaida’s second banana, came from Egypt via that path. Imprisoned and tortured there, he came out angrier than he went in.

And yet, the rightists in our country and political discourse insist the threat we face is from Muslims. But the evidence keeps cropping up that its the way our government - and the repressive governments ours supports - keeps mishandling misery that pours fuel on a smoldering fire.

That’s not to suggest that ‘America’s the villain.’ That our government gets it right at times and in certain places demonstrates that. Yet in the Middle East, where the energy resources necessary to keep our economy afloat is concentrated, the mishandling of misery and especially the support of repressive regimes, clearly has played a key role in bolstering dangerous extremists.

And until we, as citizens, challenge the fearmongering creators and defenders of our shady alliances with the likes of the Shah, Saddam, the House of Saud, and Hosni Mubarek, we can count on some of that anti-American hostility being advanced by our government at the expense of our national security and our troops’ lives.

And one more note: I’d hoped my post would make it clear that economic turmoil was on the plate this week. If you’re a stock market trader, even smalltime, I hope you decided to go to cash today, because the odds are high that things could go to hell pretty quickly from here. If tomorrow brings a big drop, you get a second chance to exit, because the following days aren’t offering any relief.

If you invest, instead of trading, you can count on some rebound and exit in some more opportune time, but you’d better anticipate that the yo-yo market ahead isn’t going to yield much for longtermers for many months to come. It’d be smarter to invest your time in changing the contents of our government and the status quo ignorance that keeps repeating the same mistakes year after year. And yes, there’s a significant number of sitting Democrats who seem unable to develop an original thought to counter that as well.

We all pay the bill for that.

But whatever. Denial remains a pillow for many, even if it grants them no rest.