The prime ministers of Syria and Iraq agreed Saturday to boost cooperation in security and economic affairs during talks aimed at improving relations strained by Baghdad's allegations that the Syrians were harboring Iraqi insurgents.
That would be the optimistic line. The pessimist might say that with their ally Iran's hand puppet Moqtada al-Sadr part of the Iraqi government, Syria can shift from sending in Sunni Arab jihadis to undermining Iraq from within.
Allowing Iraqis to enter Syria without visas is part of the deal. This is sheer speculation on my part, but might not the prospect of Iraqi intelligence agents able to enter Syria freely help to cow Iraqi Baathists who sought refuge in Syria out of fear that they could be targets of revenge and preemption killings?
I'll certainly watch for credible analysis of this issue to answer my question.
