Asea-tossedstormofhumanmiseryishittingtheshoresofItalyinwavesByBenWedeman,CNNinternationalcorrespondentUpdated0301GMT(1001HKT)April21,2015CNNInternationalCorrespondentBenWedemanreportsfromaregionseeingasuddensurgeinmigrantsattemptingoften-deadlyMediterraneancrossingstoreachEurope.ItisahumantragedythatWedemansayshasbeenbuildingforyears.Catania,Sicily(CNN)Weareatthebeginningofamassiveandmountingcrisiswithnosolutioninsight.Perhapsthat'sincorrect.ThemigrantcrisisthathassuddenlydrawnhundredsofjournaliststoSicilyhasbeenbrewingforyears,butinthepast10days,withasmanyas1,600deathsintheMediterranean,suddenlymindsarefocused--fornow.Almostexactlyfouryearsago,inLibya,Icaught,perhaps,aglimpseofwhatwastocome.ItwaslateatnightinthebesiegedcityofMisrata.HundredsofAfricanmigrantswerecaughtbetweentheLibyancivilwar(backthensomeoptimisticallycalleditarevolution)andthedeepbluesea.TheyhadcometoMisratafromGhana,Nigeriaandelsewhere,hopingtoboardricketyboatstocrosstheseatoEurope.Theyhadbeenpinneddownundersporadicshellingfromgovernmentforces,butweren'twelcomebytherebelswhocontrolledthecity.Theyappealedtoustohelpthemescape.Wecoulddonothing,buttheymayhaveeventuallyfoundtheirwayoutwhenthefightingsubsided.ThefallofLibyanleaderMoammarGadhafi'sregime,whichwereporterscoveredsoavidly,wasfollowedbychaos,whichweinthenewsmedialargelyneglected,focusedaswejournalistswereonthenextcatastrophe,theSyriancivilwar.Inthatchaos,thebusinessofhumantraffickinghasboomed.AndnowthatboominhumanmiseryiscominginwavestotheshoresofItaly.Thefocustodayisonthoselostatsea.Awareofthetragedyunderway,however,ItaliansarealarmedattheprospectthatthisyearaloneasmanyasamillionmigrantscouldarriveinEurope,accordingtooneEuropeanUnionofficial.ThatiscertainlythecaseintheSicilianportofCatania,wheremanymigrantsarrive.Thecity'smayor,EnzoBianco,insistscityresidentsbearnoillwilltowardthemigrants,butsaysCatania,andSicilycannotabsorbtheever-growingnumbers.TherestofEuropemusthelpcarrytheburden.Ifsomethingseriousisn'tdone,hewarns,dramaslikethesewillberepeated.Thisproblemwillnotberesolvedbyhidingourheadsinthesand.Increasingly,someItaliansarelosingtheirpatience.Twonorthernregions,VenetoandValled'Aosta,havedeclaredtheywillnolongeracceptnewmigrants.TherightistLegaNordhasmadeoppositiontonewmigrantsapillarofitspartyprogram.Others,however,insistItalymustkeepitsdoorsopen.InCataniaport,IspokewithGraziaGiurato,whohadjoinedasmallprotestinsolidaritywiththemigrants.Manyyearsago,ourgrandparentsemigrated,sherecalled.Let'skeepthatinmind.Indeed,intoughertimes,millionsofimpoverishedItalianslefttheirhomelandtosettleintheAmericasandAustralia.They,too,likethemigrantsfromAfricaandtheMiddleEast,werefleeinggrindingpovertyandwar.Andthey,too,experiencedthekindofprejudiceandresentmentinlandstheirdescendantsnowproudlycallhome.That'sthelongview,perhaps.Butnow,today,Italiansaregrapplingtodealwiththeconsequencesofanarrayofoldandnewills,rangingfromfailingstatesandfailingeconomiestoendemiccorruption,hopelesspoverty,oppressionandinjusticethatnoonestateorgroupofstatescansolvewithoutagargantuan,expensiveandpoliticallydauntingeffort.Andwhilethiscrisishasbeenbrewingforyears,itisnowtrulyuponus.Opinion:TheMiddleEastisinflames--andObama'smakingitworseByAbdulazizSagerUpdated1954GMT(0254HKT)April20,2015AbdulazizSagerisChairmanandfounderoftheGulfResearchCenter,anindependentthinktankbasedinJeddah,SaudiArabia.Theviewsexpressedaretheauthor'sown.(CNN)U.S.PresidentBarackObama'srecentexplanationofhowhisadministrationwillengagewiththeMiddleEastisfarfromreassuringtotheregion.InhisinterviewwithTomFriedmanfromtheNewYorkTimesonApril4,ObamaexplainedU.S.foreignpolicymovesonIranandCuba,whichFriedmandescribedastheObamadoctrine.HestatedthatWewillengage,butwepreserveallourcapabilities.Bycapabilities,thePresidentmustmeanthetools,whetherdiplomatic,economicormilitary,toprotectanddefendU.S.interests.ThedoctrineissignificantbecauseitprovidesgreaterclarityabouttheU.S.policyundertherestofObama'spresidency.InsteadofthenewbeginningthatthePresidentoutlinedinhismuchdiscussedCairospeechin2009,U.S.policyintheMiddleEastremainsmiredinacontradictionbetweenprinciplesandactionontheground.Forexample,thePresidentassertedintheinterviewthattheU.S.'scoreinterestsintheregionarenotoil,arenotterritorial...Ourcoreinterestsarethateverybodyislivinginpeace,thatitisorderly,thatouralliesarenotbeingattacked,thatchildrenarenothavingbarrelbombsdroppedonthem,thatmassivedisplacementsaren'ttakingplace.Yet,attheverymomentthatthePresidentwasofferingthisassessment,U.S.allies,suchastheArabGulfstates,Jordan,LebanonandthelegitimategovernmentinYemen,foundthemselvesunderseriousthreatandattack;theSyrianregimewascontinuingtorelentlesslybombitsowncitizens;andtheMiddleEastwasfacedwiththebiggestrefugeecrisisinitshistory.ImplementingthecoreU.S.interestsoutlinedbyObamaintheinterviewisclearlynotworking.ThereexistgravedoubtsaboutwhetherthecurrentU.S.administrationisindeedreadytodeploytheabove-mentionedcapabilities.ItseemsthattheU.S.willonlyusethemwhenitsnationalsecurityisatstake.Andthosecoreinterestsarelim