The Iraqnid Cometh

From the Dossier of an Ex-Patriot.

When last we left Autumn of the Superpower, Russia and China were planning to hold joint war games. According to Russian President – and enthusiastic (overly perhaps) NFL memorabilia collector – Vladimir Putin, their relationship has reached "unparalleled heights."

In our next installment, Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari takes the first steps in normalizing relations with former foe Iran, raising the specter of a mighty Shi'ite alliance. As Safa Haeri reports in "Iraq goes courting in Iran" today on Asia Times Online, Jaafari arrived in Tehran on Saturday.

He was preceded by his defense minister, Saadun al-Dulaimi, to whom Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhani extended not only an offer of military cooperation, but assistance to Iraqi and, by implication, US-led forces in defeating Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

Specifically, Shamkhani proposed deployment of the al-Badr Brigade, which had been formed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to oppose Saddam.

The US a beneficiary of evil axle Iran? "It has certainly been approved and even encouraged by Washington," observed Iranian journalist Alireza Nourizadeh in Haeri's piece. Apparently the administration expects Jaafari to brief them on Iran's policies toward Iraq, the US, and Israel.

Like Jaafari has nothing better to do than sniff around as a mole for the US. More likely, an ultimate aim of his is gaining access to Iran's wealth of nuclear knowledge.

Maybe Jaafari figures that since Iraq has been attacked for possession of nuclear weaponry, a crime it didn't commit, that it's already been punished. Why not go ahead and commit the crime then? It's got a free one coming.

I can see it now: A generation hence, Iraqis and Iranians combine to form the mega Shi'ite state of Iraqnya. It crawls with a new breed of Middle-Easterner - the Iraqnid.

PREVIOUS | INDEX | NEXT