Conference with or without Israel will be meaningless and fruitless.

Submitted by Romesh Chander (United States), Dec 9, 2006 at 12:50

It does not matter whether Israel is invited to conference or not, it will be unsuccessful. US position in Iraq is extremely weak and Syria/Iran/Israel all know it. Under these circumstances, US should not expect any love and flowers from Syria & Iran. The main goal of Iran and Syria is US to be out of the Middle East entirely (and stop supporting Israel). When that is acheived, then Syria/Iran will worry about Israel. For Syria/Iran, US is the biggest problem, not Israel. Syria/Iran live there and can certainly out-wait US. Moreover, Syria/Iran are not suffering casualties in Iraq, US is.

Can this conference, if held at all, resolve Iraq problem in 2 years -- the lifespan of Bush administration? I must be deluding. Syria & Iran has no incentive in resolving the problem quickly when they know US is getting increasingly mired in Iraq. Moreover, Syria & Iran are worried about their own interests, not those of Iraq. (Poor Iraq). Syria/Iran are extremely love US being ground down in Iraq.

US cannot afford to withdraw from Iraq and also cannot afford to stay there either. If Bush administration does not withdraw, then the next administration will withdraw under worsening circumstances. In any case, bloodshed in Iraq will continue long after US has left Iraq. In my opinion, the bloodshed should continue till the parties have resolved their problems themselves (why continue with the crazy-quilt structure of the defeat of Ottoman Empire). US has only interests in the Middle East -- Israel and Oil. Unfortunately, US is losing control on both.

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