Saudi Arabia believes that Iraq is a “lost battle” that will disintegrate because of Iranian “interference,” Kurdish drive for quasi- independence, and there is no “endgame” to the US occupation that has “failed by every single measure.”
Speaking at a two-day conference on US-Arab relations, Nawaf Obaid who manages the Saudi National Security Assessment project warned policy makers of the National Council on US-Arab Relations that Iraq’s disintegration from this “dire” plight seems certain. US Vice President Dick Cheney disagreed with Obaid, who among other things is also private security and energy advisor to Saudi Ambassador to Washington , saying that while violence will continue for “some considerable period of time,” the situation has actually improved.
The US is going to polls this week on what is being viewed as a vote on US Iraq, Iran , and North Korean policies with Iraq being weighed higher than the others. Analysts predict a Republican rout that can force a change in US foreign policy but it is unclear what that might be.
