In my last column, "This is How Iraq Can Be Saved", I had said that we ought to find a way to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi ethnic groups who have historically been victims of Sunni Baathist tyranny. They are likely to control the future governments in Iraq, so that when we are finally ready to pull out of Iraq, the country that we leave behind is not an enemy but a friend. In support of my argument, I had sighted the example of Iraqi Kurds who are pro-Americans because they benefited from the U.S. security umbrella during Saddam Hussein's oppressive regime. According to Jae M. Kim, a student in the PhD program in Politics and who visited Baghdad recently , it is generally accepted that Kurds are pro-American because they have enjoyed political autonomy and economic prosperity since the end of the first Gulf War in 1991. Kim quoted Al-Haydari, who is deputy chairman of the Baghdad branch of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in her article as saying, "American presence in Iraq will be very helpful for the reconstruction of post-Hussein Iraq."

The other ethnic group that I talked about was that of Shiites who, despite being in the majority, have suffered at the hands of the minority Sunni regimes for centuries. But the case of winning Shiite hearts and minds is not as simple as that of the Kurds. Because the Iraqi Shiites are not united: a small but powerful and violent faction among them is being controlled by elements that are loyal to Iran.

Radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Shiites are no better than the Al-Qaeda's Wahhabi Sunnis – both want to establish their version of the Islamist fascist state. It is commonly known that Muqtada al-Sadr, acting as Iran's proxy is working hard to extend Tehran's totalitarian influence to this part of the Middle East. His militia, Jaysh al-Mahdi, just like Hezbollah in Lebanon is not only financed by Tehran but is also trained by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. It is reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps established three military training camps in Qasr-i Shirin, 'Ilam, and Hamid, on the Iranian side of the Iran-Iraq border to train Jaysh al-Mahdi elements. The members of the Jaysh al-Mahdi are also trained in espionage and reconnoitering.

"In addition to communications and logistical support, Iran provides $80 million a month in direct aid to Muqtada's movement. According to one critic, "Behind al-Sadr's phenomenon and money are the most extremist and anti-democratic governing bodies in Iran which seek to settle its account with the international community with the blood of the Iraqis." (source)

The majority of the Shiites on the other hand, have shown their willingness to work wth the U.S. They are the followers of the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who has counseled patience and refrained from challenging the U.S. military presence; he is also wary of Tehran's influence over Iraqi politics. It is this group of Shiites that need to be empowered.

Iraq observers are unanimous that whereas Muqtada al-Sadr's Iranian agenda has been an important factor in keeping the Al-Qaeda insurgency alive, Syria's backing of the Baathist remnants and Saudi Arabian money funding the Sunnis has played havoc with the lives of the ordinary Iraqis. The foreign interference has created difficulties in many ways; on the one hand it has created such an environment of insecurity that the Iraqis who are normally pro-Americans find it difficult to challenge the marauding militias and on the other, it has sowed the bitter seeds of civil war, leading all the impartial analysts to conclude that so long as Iran's proxy Jaysh al-Mahdi, Syria's henchmen and Saudi money remains in control of the Iraqi streets no effort to stabilize Iraq can be successful.

It brings me to the subject of engaging Tehran and Damascus in negotiations to find a way to stabilize Iraq. Democrats have been very vocal in demanding a quick withdrawal of the U.S. forces from Iraq and inviting Iran and Iraq to help the U.S. in securing its freedoms. What these peace-mongers are suggesting is devoid of any common sense and defies the conventional wisdom.

The Democrats are in favor of engaging Syria and Iran because they are desperate to find a way to pull out from Iraq. And it seems that they are not alone. This line of thinking has gained a considerable currency especially after the recently concluded Hezbollah's aggression against Israel as many in the U.S. and the world have fallen prey to Hezbollah's propaganda that it has not only won the war against Israel but has emerged as more influential and more powerful as a result of the "victory".

There are at least three factors that have contributed in the development of this unhealthy situation: both the propaganda success that Hezbollah emerged from the war it imposed on Israel apparently unharmed, and the ascendance of Muqtada Al-Sadr in Iraq's politics, enhanced Iran's image in the region; the success of Sunni insurgents in Iraq to keep the country in turmoil helped Syria to emerge as an important player in the regional politics; and the inability of the U.S. to clearly impress upon the Shiite radicals and Sunni insurgents that it is in control of the situation emboldened and empowered Islamist fascism to new heights.

So now, involving Iran and Syria at this stage will only result in the empowerment of radicals like Muqtada al-Sadr and terrorists like Al-Qaeda and Baathist remnants further. A U.S. decision to accept Iran and Syria as partners in the peace process will be nothing less than a death sentence for pro-American Iraqis; the balance of power will shift totally in favor of Islamist fascists. Terrorism will spread and no one will ever be able to speak-up in support of Americanism. It will also strengthen the hands of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad whose main mission in life is to acquire nuclear weapons and a means to deliver them.

IT WILL BE PROJECTED BY THE ISLAMISTS AS A U.S. RETREAT.

There cannot be a worse time than this to seek help from the terrorist sponsoring states to help us in solving a problem that is basically their own creation. Because the events of the recent past have given them reasons to feel confident and certain of their victory against the "Great Satan" – coalition forces in Afghanistan are struggling, Iraq is completely in chaos, Hezbollah has emerged "victorious" in its war against Israel and Democrats have won control on the plank that U.S. should accept defeat in Iraq.

We must remember that this is not like we never have engaged Iran or Syria in negotiations. There is a long history of negotiations, parleys, talks and meetings between Washington and Tehran and between Washington and Damascus. But such negotiations have never been successful even though Washington negotiated from a position of strength. But today the U.S. will not be negotiating from a position of strength. It will be a weaker party - a party that is begging to be rescued. So what makes some people think that we can get anything out of these engagements when we are being perceived as weak and trapped? This will be offering a victory in a silver platter to our enemies.

THIS IS THE DAY ISLAMISTS WERE WAITING FOR.

Can we afford this situation? Have we forgotten that it is Tehran and Syria that have been undermining us in Iraq? Is it not true that these fascist states have been doing everything within their power to sink any prospect of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, backing Hezbollah and Hamas? Have we forgotten Tehran's goal of wiping Israel off the map?

Washington has to make sure that in whatever it does in trying to calm down the situation in Iraq, it doesn't do anything to empower or embolden Wahhabism represented by Al-Qaeda and Ahmadinejad's Khomeinism guised as Muqtada al-Sadr's Islamist fascism.

There is only one way to show to these anti-freedom forces that they have no chance of success: A central government in Baghdad that is composed of pro-American Kurds and Shiites that is not dependent for its survival on Sunnis, Baathists, Iran and Syria's approval. Such a pro-American government should be backed by the U.S. might for as long as it takes to make the Islamist world understand that freedoms cannot be defeated. Because as long as the central government in Baghdad appears to be begging for Sunni cooperation, the insurgency will continue to grow in influence and power.

Sunnis can be approached for cooperation and inclusion in the affairs of the state but only after it is established that the survival of the central government in Baghdad is not conditioned on the approval of the Sunnis and Saddam supporters.