Recently, Iraq has taken the initiative in hosting a summit between itself, and the ever feuding regional powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran. This has been perceived by many as an effort by Iraq to “rebrand” itself so to speak. After decades of war tearing Iraq apart, the middle eastern nation is making an effort to appear as a friendly mediator between its neighbors.
Iraq has been an ally to the US in recent times, but Iraqi leaders have made it clear that the United States’ foreign agenda will not stop them from negotiating independently with Iran and Syria. One of the main goals these negotiations has been for Iraq to expand trade with both Saudi Arabia and Iran; not favoring one over the other despite their continued rivalry.
While it may be good that these powers are seated together at the negotiating table, in my opinion such efforts will not bring peace and stability to the region. These countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and Iran, have their own personal agendas that will prove to be more important to them than just making peace for peace’s sake.
In my opinion, the US should encourage the middle eastern countries to negotiate among themselves. This will only serve to foster a sense of mutual interdependence, thus decreasing risk of further conflict in the whole region. If the US were to continue to intervene, forcing countries to bend to their foreign agenda, then this will only justify and increase the hatred against the US that seems to be so commonplace in the region.