U.S. Considers Ending Outreach to Insurgents

[cal04]

The Bush administration is deliberating whether to abandon U.S. reconciliation efforts with Sunni insurgents and instead give priority to Shiites and Kurds, who won elections and now dominate the government, according to U.S. officials.

The proposal, put forward by the State Department as part of a crash White House review of Iraq policy, follows an assessment that the ambitious U.S. outreach to Sunni dissidents has failed. U.S. officials are increasingly concerned that their reconciliation efforts may even have backfired, alienating the Shiite majority and leaving the United States vulnerable to having no allies in Iraq, according to sources familiar with the State Department proposal.

Some insiders call the proposal the "80 percent" solution, a term that makes other parties to the White House policy review cringe. Sunni Arabs make up about 20 percent of Iraq's 26 million people.

Until now the thrust of U.S. policy has been to build a unified government and society out of Iraq's three fractious communities. U.S. officials say they would not be abandoning this goal but would instead leave leadership of the thorny task of reconciliation to the Iraqis. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the deliberations.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/30/AR2006113001710.html

[MADem]

1. Well, that won't go over too well with the House of Saud if this is really true

Unless the Saudis are gonna get in there (well, with their proxies, Jordan and Egypt, to do the heavy, sweaty work--they'll pay all the bills of course) and give them a "come to Jesus Muhamad" lecture after the USA starts playing rough. It could well be that's the real plan, with this public tough guy statement an opportunity for the US to be set up as the perpetual mean old assholes, while the Saudis ride in on a white horse and talk sense into the boys....

A decision to step back from reconciliation efforts would also be highly controversial among America's closest allies in the region, which are all Sunni governments. Sunni leaders in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf sheikdoms have been pressuring the United States to ensure that their brethren are included in Iraq's power structure and economy.

But over 10 days of intense discussions recently among top policymakers in the White House review, State Department officials argued that intervening in Iraqi politics is increasingly counterproductive, particularly after elections for a permanent government last December. Reconciliation, they also argued, is now exceptionally unlikely and could actually jeopardize U.S. relations with Iraq's Shiites, who make up about 60 percent of the population, according to sources familiar with the debate....

Cheney wasn't sitting around in SA with his thumb up his ass. He's cooked up something with the Saudis. I suspect this little story is a shot across the Sunni bow, a "we ain't playin' any more" tactic to get them to stop being such jerks and express some willingness to compromise so everyone can live in peace. The Saudis have deep pockets, and they ARE the keepers of the Holy Places, so they can talk to shi'as, too, especially if they bring cash along to the talks.

Time will tell, I guess...