Tyrannical Monarchs Quake in Fear with Paranoid dellusions of Iran-US Plots

Indications of a ‘grand bargain’ between Washington and Tehran make it imperative for Gulf states to stand together economically, militarily and politically

Is the US plotting regional mayhem?
By Khalaf Al Habtoor – Gulf News – 14 October, 2013

Something’s cooking in the White House and the smell drifting towards Saudi Arabia, the other Gulf states and Egypt is far from pleasant. America is one of our closest western allies, or so we’re meant to believe. Recent disclosures suggest otherwise. The Obama administration’s policy vis-a-vis the Middle East and the Gulf lacks transparency and is marked by contradiction and confusion — perhaps deliberately so. This column aims at giving you a clearer picture.

One of my biggest fears may be close to realisation. For years, I’ve been warning about a future unholy alliance between the US and the Islamic Republic of Iran to the detriment of Gulf Cooperation Council states in numerous articles. Under the title ‘Are Sunnis victims of a new Great Game’, published in April 2012, I wrote: “There is a credible school of thought that Washington’s long-term agenda revolves around luring Iran into its camp on the premise that Arab Shiites would follow … In theory, Washington would like to appoint a powerful entity like Iran as its proxy regional caretaker just as the Shah was until he suffered delusions of grandeur. But, first of all, it would be obliged to throw predominantly Sunni states under a bus.”

A year ago, when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was still spouting his unhinged rants, some readers may have found the above analysis hard to believe, even though a US rapprochement with Iran has long been promoted by various US think-tanks as well as prominent American writers, analysts and politicians, including John Kerry. You’ll recall that President Barack Obama pledged to reach out to Iranians during his first term, saying the US wanted to end the strained relationship. That approach failed, mostly because a US president can’t engage in photo-ops with a Holocaust denier without locking horns with the pro-Israel lobby.

Then along comes Hassan Rouhani who worked his treacle-coated magic when, hey presto, he makes history as the first Iranian leader to have a phone conversation with a US president since 1979. Obama’s National Security Adviser Susan Rice says normalisation of US-Iranian relations could ensue. King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia is not amused while Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is practically foaming at the mouth calling Rouhani a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Not only is Obama alienating his traditional allies with his bearded new best friend, he has astounded Egyptians by showing support for the Muslim Brotherhood and condemning the interim government for arresting its leaders. There is a belief among Egyptians that the US president funded the Brotherhood’s campaign prior to last year’s elections in connection with some kind of deal. Conspiracy theory! I thought so until I read an article in the World Tribune some days ago quoting former US Joint Chiefs Chairman General Hugh Shelton, who revealed to Fox News that the Obama administration had been working towards destabilising Egypt and Bahrain for the last two years. …more