I think involving Iran and Syria is a great idea.
I agree 100%.
Well, it has been seven hours and no response, so maybe you did have a moments hestitation? I can only hope.
What I wanted to get at is that while getting Iran and Syria involved in talks regarding Iraq is probably a good idea, it is double edge sword, and the U.S. will have to tip toe on the knife edge.
Specifically, although the U.S. has military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait, the principle U.S. ally in the region is Saudi Arabia. The problem with this is Saudi Arabia is predominently Sunni. There is already plenty of tension in the U.S. - Saudi Arabia relationship over the Israel/Palestine quagmire. Saudi Arabia is also supposedly a source of Sunni insurgents and possibly weapons contributing to the Iraqi conflict.
While I am not quite sure of the Syrian Islamic preference, I am guessing that they are Sunni as well. Iran on the other hand, is definitely Shiite. Thus, inclusion of Iran and Syria will present another degree of difficulty in balancing Sunni-Shiite tensions and conflicts beyond those already present inside Iraq.
To expect more out of Iran and Syria than just discussing the situation will also cost the U.S. something with respect to negotiations. In my mind, Iran and Syria will use the opportunity of even just talks to negotiate for something. Even just even showing up at the table will justify a gift in their point of view, as they would view the situation as one of “we (the U.S.) need them more than they need us”.
For Iran, it is not too difficult to see them asking, if not demanding that the U.S. and the U.N. Security Council for that matter, back off on threats to Irans’ nuclear activities. I would also expect them to tell the U.S. to drop its pro-democracy efforts with respect to Iran.
For Syria, the obvious goal from my perspective would be to lift the border security between Syria and Iraq and to allow border crossing rights for both people and “goods”. In other words, allow free passage of more insurgents and weapons. Syria also has a bigger stake in the Palestianian struggle and may demand concessions there. How does restoring financial aid to the Hamas government, terrorist label or not, sound to you?
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that Iraq is in Iran’s and Syria’s back yard. They should have some involvement. But historically and with current regimes, their motives and objectives are more than a little suspect. It leaves the road for the U.S. to travel, that much narrower.
All this is summed up nicely by Zymurgy’s First Law of Evolving Systems Dynamics, a collarary of Murphys’ Law. It states: Once you open up a can of worms, the only way to recan them is to use a larger can.
I hope we can find a larger can.