A Letter From Iraq

Iraq Sunset

The Letter -- Strategy Page

October 27, 2008: The war is over. Most of the noise these days is from politicians arguing, not bombs going off. There are still bombs, but now they tend to be assassination attempts, as some political parties play dirty (not unknown in this part of the world). Up north, the Turkish Air Force air raids are taking place farther (the latest was 100 kilometers) from the border. The PKK separatists have been driven out of their bases close to the Turkish border. But the PKK continues to recruit in northern Iraq, despite the hostility of the Kurdish government. Many Iraqi Kurds back the PKK, and its violence inside Turkey. So no matter what the Iraqi Kurdish government says against the PKK, the Kurdish population is another matter.

Iraq has revived its diplomatic relations with Kuwait, including reopening the Kuwaiti embassy and making an earnest attempt to settle issues (mainly reparations and missing persons) still remaining from the Iraqi occupation of 1990-91. Relations with Iran are rather more complex, with the Iranians boldly interfering in Iraqi politics. This includes bribes and threats to Iraqi politicians, and backing pro-Iranian militias and terrorist groups. Iran shows no signs of backing off, and this threatening attitude is why so many Iraqis, including Shia, want American troops to remain. Iran wants them gone, so that Iraq will be more responsive to Iranian threats. The Sunni Arabs, in Iraq and to the south in Arabia, want the U.S. to stay as well, and for the same reason. Keeping the Iranians out is nothing new, it's a local tradition that is thousands of years old.

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