The Iranians have more in common with the majority of Iraqis than they do with Saudi Arabia who share the a different form if Islam.
Another important thing that is also frequently missed in this equation is that Iranians, unlike Iraqi's are NOT Arab. They are completely different race viewing themselves as second only to China as an ancient oriental civilization. The average Iranian historically views the average Arab Iraqi as rather suspect and primitive compared to themselves.
The US invasion succeeded in doing something that T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) warned against decades beforehand. He argued that a frontal attack against ANY nation in the Middle East by a Western army would only succeed in uniting the normally rancourous factions to focus on the one common enemy attacking them. This is what has happened in Iraq, with previously bitter enemies putting aside ideologies and mustering their forces against an 'infidel' invader.
It is only in recent times with the mass defection of Sunnis who were previously fighting with Al Quaeda and who turned against them, that coalition forces began to see less casualties.
The Sunnis however have stated publicly that once they have defeated Al Quaeda, they will turn their attention back on the colation forces until they leave Iraq.
I wrote this post just as the US invaded Iraq and my views have not changed:
As you are probably aware I am not against war, I am against war being used before the last resort. I am yet to be convinced that the Coalition and its Foreign Intelligence Services knew what they doing when they stuck their noses into a wasps nest. I believe that the repercussions of this war for tomorrow’s world are not going to bring the positive changes to the Middle East that both Blair and Bush perceive, but I hope I am very wrong. I traveled throughout the Middle East many years ago and found that my perceptions of the people who live their had been grossly influenced by a misguided Western view. They simply do not perceive and understand most things in Western terms and are as alien to the West in their thinking as the Far East is. It seems that often what we are trying to do in the Middle East is to force people who inhabit that area to think like Westerners. I can tell you, you would have more success packing sawdust than attaining to this. The beheading of women, the maiming and torture of individuals did not start in Iraq, it is a centuries old way of life and is not all that the Arab or Oreintal culture and life is about!
A clued in diplomatic corps, an intelligence service based on French or UK structures, and politicians who would be well advised to switch off 'The Waltons' and read a history book every now and again. Foreign policies are built on an understanding of the thinking of people outside ones own national boundaries. There seems to be an historical attitude that prevails in US Government circles that the whole world is either American or aspiring to be so when they grow up.
HS
