August 18th, 2008 by Adam

Ben Lowenberg and Rami Hassan at the Center for American Progress have a good analysis of the regional implications of the visit to Iraq by King Abdullah of Jordan. The two authors see this trip as beneficial to Iraq’s regional standing, as “It is in Iraq’s interest to see this type of diplomatic engagement with its neighbors increase—support from its neighbors will be necessary to build on the recent declines in violence in Iraq and help stabilize the region.” They also say the U.S. can help reintegrate Iraq into the region’s power structure by using its leverage with the GCC states to get them to work with Iraq more closely.

In a further sign of Iraq’s warming ties with the rest of the region, it was announced that Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora will visit Iraq this week for diplomatic and economic talks.

Posted in Diplomacy, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon |