The report, by researchers at think-tank the Royal Institute for International Studies in London – also known as Chatham House – says: “There is little doubt that Iran has been the chief beneficiary of the war on terror in the Middle East.
‘The United States, with Coalition support, has eliminated two of Iran’s regional rival governments – the Taliban in Afghanistan in November 2001 and Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq in April 2003 – but has failed to replace either with coherent and stable political structures.'”
Immanuel Wallerstein. “Walking Away: The Least Bad Option”. MRZine. February 15, 2008 – “A third reason is that a U.S. withdrawal would mean the strengthening of Iran’s position in Iraq and more generally in the Middle East. Again, this may be true, but most serious analysts feel that Iran has already been the biggest beneficiary of the U.S. invasion. It destroyed a serious opponent of Iran, Saddam Hussein. It has placed Shia and Kurdish groups in considerable power in Iraq, groups that have had close links with Iran and will probably continue to maintain and strengthen these links. There is no indication that the U.S. presence is weakening Iran’s position. Quite the contrary.”
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