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The U.S. Should Not Cooperate with Iran on Iraq
(Washington Post) Michael Doran and Max Boot - It's sometimes true that very different countries can cooperate against a common enemy, as the United States and Soviet Union did during World War II. But the suggestion of a united U.S.-Iran front is more reminiscent of the wishful thinking among conservatives who argued in the 1930s that Britain and the U.S. shared a common interest with Nazi Germany in countering communism. The idea that the U.S., a nation bent on defending democracy and safeguarding stability, shares a common interest with the Islamic Republic of Iran, a revolutionary theocracy that is the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism in the world, is as fanciful as the notion that Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler could work together for the good of Europe. We have grown accustomed to Pakistan playing both arsonist and fireman at the same time - sheltering bin Laden and supporting jihadist groups while winning aid from Washington by portraying itself as a partner in the war against terrorism. Iran is adept at playing a similar game. Indeed, the non-jihadist Syrian opposition insists that ISIS is a creation of Iran. There is much evidence that Iran and its Syrian allies have cooperated with ISIS. In 2012, the Treasury Department identified Iran as supportive of ISIS, which has reportedly grown fat in no small part due to deals with the Assad regime for oil from wells under its control. That's right. According to Western intelligence sources, Assad has a business partnership with ISIS. Michael Doran is a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Max Boot is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.