Mistrust may hinder new Iraqi regime's efforts to mend ties with neighbours, says Arab analyst

In a new book titled: The US War on Iraq: Regional Strategic Implication, published by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR), Ahmad Shakira, a researcher and lecturer at the ECSSR said: "The new Iraqi regime will have to mend relations with all Arab and non-Arab countries. If that were to occur, the regional environment would greatly improve in both economic and security terms. However, a number of variables, issues and obstacles may hinder such a conclusion, not least the apparent mistrust that has been generated between Iraq and its neigbours."

He said Iraq's situation has to be resolved on two important levels. On the domestic level, the internal differences and the increasing divisions within Iraq have to be settled peacefully. These differences are numerous and manifest in political, legal, socio-economic and cultural terms. The researcher said it was hoped that the new regime would place more emphasis on the idea of national integration as well as applying genuine, transparent democratic federalism for all sections of the population.

On the external level, he said, US involvement in Iraq may create further problems for Iraq and its neighbours.