Syria and Iraq: Relations in Jeopardy?
The Iraqi government’s pact with the United States is proving problematic for their relationship with Syria. Because of the United States’ alleged attack in Syrian airspace, the Syrian government has viewed Iraq’s role as that of a staging ground for ‘aggression against Syria.’ Though Iraq has ‘rejected’ the raid, Iraq’s complex relationship with the United States, who helped form its constitution and on whom they rely (willingly or unwillingly) for security, has made them in Syria’s view a complicit partner.
Of course, international relations dictates that Iraq not denounce the United States to the extent Syria has been willing and able to do, but Syria’s pressure on Iraq shows how balance is incredibly difficult to maintain in relations between nations. Iraq has returned pressure, asking Syria to continue cracking down on cross-border smuggling, which was the purpose of the alleged cross-border attack.
According to one news source in Jordan, relations between the two countries have been totally cut off, but this has not been confirmed by other reports. Whether Iraq’s denunciation of the raid will go far enough to satisfy the Syrians remains to be seen.
Joshua Bark
