Any notion of a united bloc of aligned countries standing as a wall against Iranian and Sunni Islamist advancement is little more than a mirage.
Map showing the extent of the first Persian Empire Thursday, 2 April 2015 | The first Persian empire is well-known to students of the Bible. Its founder, King Cyrus the Great, is lauded as the ruler God used to return the Jewish people from 70 years of exile. It is also portrayed by the book of Daniel as one of the world's most powerful and influential governments in human history.