Alwaght | News & Analysis Website

Alwaght- Strained relations between Baghdad and Riyadh have greatly improved since Haider al-Abadi was designated as Prime Minister who adopted a new foreign policy of ‘detente and openness’. As result of this policy, Saudi Arabia has appointed its new ambassador to Iraq after 24 years.
In fact, since Haider al-Abadi was appointed prime minister, he has tried to pursue the open-door policy with neighboring countries and on various occasions has stressed the need to strengthen relations especially with neighbors of Iraq. In the meantime, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Foreign Minister, and President Fuad Masum have traveled to Saudi Arabia. As a result, the mutual relations have slightly improved, and Jaafari broke the news that the Saudi embassy in Baghdad would be opened in near future. After the death of King Abdullah, Haider al-Abadi sent a telegraph message to Saudis.
Recently, Saudi Arabia announced that it has appointed Thamer al-Sabhan as its ambassador to Iraq. He is a Brigadier, former military attaché of Saudi Embassy in Lebanon.
Appointing a member of the military as an ambassador has aroused controversy. Some member of the parliaments, including Qasim Al-Araji, the head of the organization affiliated to Ammar Hakim, Hadi al-Ameri, the head of Badr organization in parliament, as well as some figures affiliated to the State of Law coalition in parliament called for the rejection of Thamer al-Sabhan. They believed that there are some specific goals behind his appointment that need further investigation.
Amidst this controversy, another controversial issue was raised, Saudi warplanes violated Iraqi airspace. In this regard, Hakim al-Zamili head of the security and defense committee in the Iraqi parliament announced that Iraqi Air Force fighters repelled the Saudi fighters that had approached al-Nukhaib Iraqi airspace in the southeastern region of al-Anbar province.  
He told the Turkish Anatolia news agency that just one day after the incident the area was hit by mortars and Katyusha. Al-Zamili stated that Saudi fighter were flying over al-Nukhaib area in Anbar province that Iraq Air Forces entered the area and the Saudi fighters were forced to retreat.
He added, after this violation, Iraq sent a message to Saudi Arabia and asked Riyadh and the US-led coalition against ISIS to explain why Saudi fighters were flying in the region where no the military operations have been carried out.
Head of the Iraqi parliament's security and defense committee reiterated that as result of these protests, Saudi Arabia has apologized but Iraq would send its official message of protest to Riyadh and the US-led coalition. Al-Nukhaib region is one of the regions that al-Anbar and Karbala provinces have been disputing about and al-Anbar is charged with its administration.
But on the other hand, Saudi Arabia's foreign policy in the years following the Persian Gulf War, was focused on dealing with the potential threats of Iraq. But now it appears that Iraq is going to be a neutral player for Saudi Arabia rather than a hostile one. Riyadh believes that years of strained relations with Baghdad have made Iraq, an Arab country with Shiite majority, establish close ties with Iran, Saudis’ main rival in the region. The government and the Shiites of Iraq do not appeal to Saudi Arabia; however, Saudi Arabia learned lessons from its past political mistakes and has opened its embassy.
Accordingly, Saudi Arabia in its foreign policy towards Iraq is faced with choices that has to select one of them. They are as follows:
 Saudi Arabia accepts the new realities, and recognizes the Shiite-led government in Iraq, and makes a peaceful effort to persuade the ruling party to assign a greater role to the Sunnis.
Saudi Arabia continues its covert and overt activities to oppose the Shiites and the new structure, and refrains from help to resolve the current crisis.
If Iraq is divided, Saudi Arabia will face a totally different equation and a Shiite pro-Iranian entity will be established near its own borders.
 If the crisis in Iraq, the lack of reconciliation between different groups and fueling the fear about Iran’s role, continues Saudi Arabia will continue its repressive measures. These actions could provoke further tensions in some border Sunni provinces and Arab Sunni groups.
12 years after the fall of the Ba’ath regime, Saudi Arabia has few options to consider. A review of the relations between Saudi Arabia and Iraq shows that Riyadh is subject to many restrictions. On the other hand, Saudi Arabia, now nearly 12 years after the occupation of Iraq and exposure to the new structure of political power in Iraq, has come to the conclusion that the Shiites cannot be marginalized. Therefore, Saudi Arabia may not have a role in the new Iraq unless it takes the Shiites into account.
Exploring recent developments in foreign policy of Saudi Arabia, we infer that policies of Saudi Arabia are changing, and politicians in Riyadh have admitted the realities of Iraq. However, given the domestic considerations in Saudi Arabia, especially the pressure from the extremist clergymen, Saudi Arabia is faced with some limitations in its cooperation with the new structure in Iraq.
It seems that Saudi Arabia will not collaborate with the new political system in Iraq unless the role of Sunnis in Iraq significantly improves. If the Iraqi political forces agree on creating a power-sharing system, and the Sunnis can approach their former position in the hierarchy of power, Saudi Arabia will accordingly support the new political structures in Iraq.
Saudi Arabia is facing two main challenges: the regional influence of Iran on Iraq and the West Asia, and the fact that Shiites and their success in Iraq may provoke discriminated Shiites in Saudi Arabia. These are challenges that could shape the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia towards Iraq.