A short-lived romance

al-Maliki

Yesterday, Middle East Online reported that the Saudi media has launched a scathing attack against the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Malaki, following al-Malaiki's implicit criticism of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states decision to pay salaries to the Syrian National Council.

The Saudi media response to al-Malaki's implicit criticisms was immediate and left no room for ambiguity. Tariq al-Homayed, the editor of Saudi owned الشرق الاوسط‎ (Asharq al-Awsat) wrote: "Gulf (states) should boycott Maliki and his government [...] to prevent the emergence of a new Saddam or another Bashar."

King Abdullah of Saudi

The comparison to Bashar al-Asad is an obvious one, with both al-Malaki and al-Asad being Shia leaders, which makes them an easily paired together by the Sunni Saudi media. It is the comparison between al-Maliki and Saddam Hussein which is a lot more interesting, and arguably deeply personal against al-Maliki. Iraq under Sunni Saddam Hussein bore witness to several episodes of extreme cruelty against the country's Shias. Shia Al-Maliki will not appreciate the Saudi media's efforts to liken him to Saddam Hussein, a former persecutor of Iraqi Shias. 

This media mud-slinging episode speaks volumes about one thing: it appears that the romance period between Saudi Arabia and Iraq, symbolised by Saudi Arabia's recent appointment of its first diplomatic representative to Iraq since the Gulf war of 1991, may be coming to a hasty end. 

Of course, I may be wrong. This could be nothing more than a temporary spat in a soon to be budding but unlikely friendship. But I don't think I am wrong. For as long as there is a Shia hand at the helm of Iraq, I suspect the recent period of improved relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia may prove to be nothing more than a short-lived romance.