U.S. needs to build up, support Gulf allies against Iran

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Iran's continued support for terrorism and its prospective emergence as a nuclear power threaten many countries.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's belligerence gives the United States greater opportunity to mobilize other states, particularly those in the growing shadow of Iranian power. The United States should maintain a strong naval and air presence in the Persian Gulf to deter Iran and strengthen military cooperation with the Gulf States, which are growing increasingly anxious about Iran's hard-line government.

The United States and its European allies should strengthen military, intelligence and security cooperation with such threatened states as Iraq, Turkey, Israel and the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates -- which was founded in 1981 to provide collective security for Arab states threatened by Iran. Such a coalition could help both to contain the expansion of Iranian power and to facilitate military action, if necessary, against Iran. Washington should also offer to deploy or sell anti-ballistic missile defense systems to threatened states, enhance joint military planning and step up joint military exercises focused on the Iranian threat.

The incoming Obama administration also should maintain the U.S. commitment to building a stable and democratic Iraq. A cornerstone of any policy to contain Iran must be strong support for an independent, democratic Iraq that is an ally in the war against terrorism.

On Jan. 20 President-elect Barack Obama will become the commander in chief of the war in Iraq, and it no longer will be "Bush's war." He will have to reconsider his pledge to withdraw U.S. combat forces from Iraq within 16 months.

While this pledge may have made political sense during the campaign, when Sen. Obama, D-Ill., mistakenly concluded that the war was lost, such a policy will be disastrous if he clings to it as president.

It is now clear that the surge has been a success and the war is winnable. If President Obama remains committed to a rapid pullout according to an arbitrary deadline, he risks squandering the hard-won gains of the surge and plunging Iraq into a humanitarian catastrophe that will jeopardize U.S. national security interests, threaten the stability of the oil-rich Persian Gulf and leave Iraq more vulnerable to Iranian meddling.

Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, has called a withdrawal timetable "dangerous." Obama, after taking office, should accept his advice and the considered judgment of military professionals including Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of Central Command -- CENTCOM -- in adopting a policy of gradual withdrawal and continued support for building Iraqi security forces.

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(Part 7: Keeping the focus on Iran's grand strategy and nuclear program)

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(James Phillips is senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs in the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, a division of the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies, and Peter Brookes is senior fellow for national security affairs in the Davis Institute at The Heritage Foundation.)

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(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)