The Positives and Negatives

Those of you following the news saw that the US and Iran met face to face at this weekend's conference here in Baghdad. I think there were both positive and negative developments. The positive, of course, was that the Iranians and Americans had a chance to meet. The negative lies in the fact that there are still serious issues dividing the US and Iran.

Iran has a radical leader who believes that the "12th Imam" will soon return to wage war against the enemies of Islam. His theology affects his stance toward the US, yet there are indications that many within Iran are not comfortable with his stances. The reality for Iran is that the US is a natural ally; if the Iranians were to have more moderate leadership, they might find that what the US is doing in the Middle East is for their benefit as well. Most people know that Al Qaeda is an enemy of Iran (being a Shia state, and Al Qaeda, of course, is a Sunni group). Iran would benefit from Al Qaeda being stamped out of Iraq and the Middle East for good.

Another big headline from this week:
-A top Iranian General defected, apparently, to the United States