Specter of Iraqi proxy war spooks Washington

Stephen Collinson, AFP

The specter of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the bones of an shattered Iraq is being conjured up by veiled warnings the kingdom may bankroll Sunni fighters if US troops go home. Apparent Saudi anxiety over US intentions — the idea of which is rejected publicly by US and Saudi officials — coincides with President George W. Bush's quest for a new strategy to end carnage in Iraq. Coupled with the sudden resignation and Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prine Turki al-Faisal, talk of frays in the crucial Saudi-US alliance have sent intrigue rippling through Washington...

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