Could Saudi-Iraqi ties be Key to Defeating IS?

Yet this Qatari announcement coincided with the Iraqi government’s harsh criticism against the Qatari government for hosting a conference for the Iraqi Sunni opposition on Sept. 5. The Iraqi position did not prevent Qatar from moving forward to enhance ties with Baghdad.

Iraq and Saudi Arabia share common interests, as they share a 1,000-kilometer (621-mile) border and face a common threat represented by the Islamic State (IS), which seeks to topple the political regimes in both countries. They also share economic and trade interests, as well as a common history.

Despite these common interests, the two sides did not succeed in establishing good ties following the events of 2003; Baghdad accused Riyadh of supporting terrorism, while Saudi Arabia considered that Iraq adopts Iranian policies that the kingdom opposes.

Saudi Arabia continued to perceive Iraq as a threat to its national interests, considering it to be a part of the project designed to spread democracy in the region, or a base for the Shiites’ political rise in the Arab world. This has pushed Saudi Arabia away from Iraq, and subsequently, a reason to distance itself from any serious contribution in building the new Iraq.

Iraq has often viewed Saudi Arabia as the main source for the extremist groups’ ideology, which prevented it from taking serious steps toward a rapprochement with Saudi Arabia on the basis of their common interests.

The two countries missed the opportunity to build regional cooperation in the fight against extremist groups, whose destructive activities do not see any difference between the ruling regimes in the region. Al-Qaeda and IS perceive Iraq and Saudi Arabia as infidel and illegitimate regimes, which subsequently requires having to fight them.