Two documents unveiled in the U.S. last year combine to demonstrate the ways that the war in Iraq is closely tied to the search for peace and security in the Middle East and the protection of U.S. interests.
First, a National Intelligence Estimate stated that “the Iraq conflict has become the cause celebre for jihadists,” shaping and inspiring a new generation of terrorist leaders intent on harming the U.S.
Second, the Iraq Study Group, also known as the Baker-Hamilton Commission, maintained that “the United States will not be able to achieve its goals in the Middle East unless the United States deals directly with the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
Statements by radicals like Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr, who announced his support for Hizbollah and Hamas in 2004, seem to emphasize the link: "They can consider me their striking hand in Iraq whenever there is a necessity and whenever there is a need.”