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Source: http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/the-unintended-consequences-americas-adventure-iraq-6321
The Unintended Consequences of America's Adventure in Iraq
(National Interest) Dov S. Zakheim - Ariel Sharon warned Washington prior to the Iraq invasion that toppling Saddam would benefit Iran. Just as there can be no denying that Iran was the real victor of Operation Iraqi Freedom because America defanged its only seriously powerful regional rival, so too is it true that Iraq has increasingly come to share Tehran's perspective on regional affairs. While Iraq will never allow itself to be completely dominated by Tehran, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Iraq would tolerate the basing on its soil of Iranian missiles pointed at Israel. As for Syria, would a militant Sunni Islamist regime, closely tied to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood branches elsewhere (notably Egypt), improve Israel's strategic position in the region? Hardly. The writer was U.S. Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) from 2001-2004.