Still Mired in the Persian Gulf

American combat troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year. But the US establishment is still very worried about the situation in the Gulf, especially the possible threats of renewed civil war in Iraq or aggression by Iran. So we are positioning more US forces in other countries, especially Kuwait and Bahrain, and intensifying our defense ties with the Gulf Cooperation Council — Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. This means an ever closer relationship with the thugs in Bahrain who were so recently shooting protesters and have jailed all the leaders of the opposition, as well as their abetters in Saudi Arabia. I hate this but I do understand the possible problems of withdrawing from the area altogether. Perhaps in the future Iraq will develop into a stable state that will have decent relations with both sides and can help maintain the peace. But even if that happens, it will take a while.