Epstein Secrets

i exiles who told President George W. Bush that divisions among country's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish communities could be easily overcome in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq either underestimated or deliberately downplayed the salience of these ethno-sectarian identities. Moreover, reassuring statements made to We

h communities could be easily overcome in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq either underestimated or deliberate

nities could be easily overcome in a post-Saddam Hussein Iraq either underestimated or deliberately downp

s influence throughout the region. Neither Iran nor Hezbollah in Lebanon would welcome those developments. Already there are reports that Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah fighters have supported the pro-Assad forces, and both would have strong incentives to back an Alawite insurgency against a Sunni-dom

ess" and musing aloud: "You could even go back ten years and say, you know what, it might have been a =ittle more stable when we had that awful guy [Saddam) Hussein, who hated t=e Iranians." Democrats, such as =enator Dianne Feinstein of California, content themselves with denouncing =epublicans for fa

musing aloud: "You could even go back ten years and say, you know what, it might have been a =ittle more stable when we had that awful guy [Saddam) Hussein, who hated t=e Iranians." Democrats, such as =enator Dianne Feinstein of California, content themselves with denouncing =epublicans for failing to

st the Shiite government in Iran. From the beginning,=this has been the irreparable flaw in the American strategy to topple the =raqi government of Saddam Hussein. Saddam was a brutal and murderous dicta=or, but as a secular Sunni who ruled with an iron, bloody fist, he was able to crush the fundamentalist thr

st backer of the Shiite-linked Syrian regime, has forged deep tie= to the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government and assures that Hezbollah, whic= Iran's Revolutionary Guards nurtured from its birth in the early 1980s, remains impressively armed and trained.=/span> The U.S. also has p=ayed a role. In the wake of 9/11, it

in northern Iraq, and Tikrit, the home of Saddam Hussein's clan, and they have laid siege to Samarra, the

in northern and western Iraq, the insurgents control much EFTA00706969 of Mosul, the most important city in northern Iraq, and Tikrit, the home of Saddam Hussein's clan, and they have laid siege to Samarra, the site of one of Shiism's most storied shrines. It would be no surprise if the next few weeks brought t

ica's nominal ally, Saudi Arabia. As a result, a Sunni-Shiite regional conflict has been escalating over the past decade. There was no Al Qaeda in Saddam's Iraq. The United States birthed it through the invasion. It then beat Al Qaeda down, before allowing its affiliates to regroup by leaving and doi

ain Iraq does not become wholly dependent on Iranian aid and that the US will play an important role in shaping the operational environment. Iran's Revolutionary Guards are already in Iraq advising and assisting the government on the military operations. Iran has openly declared its ability and EFTA00706980 inten

ria if the opportunity arose. This threat is not analogous to concerns expressed in the run-up to the Iraq War. Then, the primary concern was that Saddam Hussein's regime would use weapons against another country or deliberately transfer them to a terrorist group. Further, it was suspected that Iraq might have

the Iraq War. Then, the primary concern was that Saddam Hussein's regime would use weapons against anoth

aq War. Then, the primary concern was that Saddam Hussein's regime would use weapons against another count

sewhere. That would require a degree of organization and infrastructure. Iran already has the means and EFTA00686842 capability to do this, using Revolutionary Guards from the Quds Force or Hezbollah, its Lebanese terrorist surrogates. Al-Qaeda, which has established a front inside Syria, has expressed an interes

spike. The theocracy's new legitimacy. Please send me a list of all the regimes of the past 60 years that have survived such military humiliation. Saddam Hussein's survival of Gulf War I is the only case I can think of—and we got him the second time around. The responsible nuclear Iran. Wait. We're supposed to

rs that have survived such military humiliation. Saddam Hussein's survival of Gulf War I is the only case

have survived such military humiliation. Saddam Hussein's survival of Gulf War I is the only case I can

ntain some significant element of surprise—a known unknown. What could that be? Here's a hint: Gen. Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, recently warned that "any place where enemy offensive operations against the Islamic Republic originate will be the target of a reciprocal attack.

an has often been singled out as the main beneficiary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, as well as the biggest threat to Iraq's stability in the post- Saddam era. Iran's uninterrupted support for Shia militia groups in southern Iraq, particularly the Mandi army, is seen as one indication of its involveme

an at present. Until 2010, most of the sanctioned goods smuggled into Iran came through the UAE and Oman. Backed by the Iranian government and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), "small-size" strategic goods, including aircraft components and sophisticated electronic equipment, were smuggled into the Iranian islands

n the outspoken Jordanian diplomat, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, whom she replaced 10 months ago," she "pulled f

of the agreement, intended to block Iran from making a nuclear weapon." However, at the same time, Major General Hossein Salami, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, "insisted the world knows Tehran is not pursuing nuclear arms." Salami is quoted as saying, "Why do they globally sanction us about the nuclear is