Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis

Nawaf Obaid, an adviser to the Saudi government, is managing director of the Saudi National Security Assessment Project in Riyadh. He wrote an article in the Washington Post stating that if the U.S. leaves Iraq, Saudi Arabia would enter to protect the Sunnis against the Iranian backed Shiite. This would bring Saudi Arabia into direct conflict with Iran. Iraq is on the verge of becoming an enormous killing field. Worse than anything we have seen yet. Stepping Into Iraq Saudi Arabia Will Protect Sunnis if the U.S. Leaves By Nawaf Obaid Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page A23 In February 2003, a month before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, warned President Bush that he would be "solving one problem and creating five more" if he removed Saddam Hussein by force. Had Bush heeded his advice, Iraq would not now be on the brink of full-blown civil war and disintegration. One hopes he won't make the same mistake again by ignoring the counsel of Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal, who said in a speech last month that "since America came into Iraq uninvited, it should not leave Iraq uninvited." If it does, one of the first consequences will be massive Saudi intervention to stop Iranian-backed Shiite militias from butchering Iraqi Sunnis. .............. There is reason to believe that the Bush administration, despite domestic pressure, will heed Saudi Arabia's advice. Vice President Cheney's visit to Riyadh last week to discuss the situation (there were no other stops on his marathon journey) underlines the preeminence of Saudi Arabia in the region and its importance to U.S. strategy in Iraq. But if a phased troop withdrawal does begin, the violence will escalate dramatically. In this case, remaining on the sidelines would be unacceptable to Saudi Arabia. To turn a blind eye to the massacre of Iraqi Sunnis would be to abandon the principles upon which the kingdom was founded. It would undermine Saudi Arabia's credibility in the Sunni world and would be a capitulation to Iran's militarist actions in the region. To be sure, Saudi engagement in Iraq carries great risks -- it could spark a regional war. So be it: The consequences of inaction are far worse. Read More At The Washington Post