Syed Saleem Shahzad: Iran and the US: United over Afghanistan?
The annual Munich Security Conference, which brings together a dozen world leaders and about 50 top diplomats and defense officials, starts on Friday for the 45th time with one item paramount on its agenda: the United States-led world order, given the troubles in Afghanistan and Iraq and the ongoing impasse with Iran. The US has sent a high-ranking delegation led by Vice President Joe Biden and the special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrook. They are expected to seek informal dialogue with Iran, represented by Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and parliament speaker Ali Larijani.
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United States efforts to make progress in Afghanistan could to a large extent depend on what happens in two of its key allies - Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan. A report by Simon Henderson for the think-tank The Washington Institute reveals an imbroglio within Saudi Arabia and speculates that given the serious ill health of Crown Prince Sultan and the deteriorating health of King Abdullah, the next few months could pose a serious challenge for American policy makers. "After months of speculation about the health of the designated successor to King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, Saudi officials are now openly talking about Sultan's ill health. The kingdom - a close US ally, the self-professed leader of the Islamic world, the world's largest oil exporter, and most recently the much-needed source of financial capital for the world's struggling economy - is heading for a period of changing leadership. The identities of the future kings, however, are so far unknown and largely unpredictable," Henderson observed.
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United States efforts to make progress in Afghanistan could to a large extent depend on what happens in two of its key allies - Saudi Arabia
and Pakistan. A report by Simon Henderson for the think-tank The Washington Institute reveals an imbroglio within Saudi Arabia and speculates that given the serious ill health of Crown Prince Sultan and the deteriorating health of King Abdullah, the next few months could pose a serious challenge for American policy makers. "After months of speculation about the health of the designated successor to King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, Saudi officials are now openly talking about Sultan's ill health. The kingdom - a close US ally, the self-professed leader of the Islamic world, the world's largest oil exporter, and most recently the much-needed source of financial capital for the world's struggling economy - is heading for a period of changing leadership. The identities of the future kings, however, are so far unknown and largely unpredictable," Henderson observed.
posted by temporal at 2/07/2009
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