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Source: http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/fajami/2008/04/11/irans-sly-games-in-iraq.html
Iran's Sly Games in Iraq
[U.S. News] Fouad Ajami - In the Iraqi theater, Iran has been sly and duplicitous. It can dial up the violence and dial it down; it can arm and wink at the forces of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr while professing fidelity to the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Iranians have done well by the British abdication in Basra. The Iranians and the militias and the criminal gangs rushed to fill the vacuum and to lay claim to the spoils. In a perfect world, the Arab neighbors of Iran ought to balance and contest Iran's power. But the Arabs today are mere spectators to their own destiny and are hopelessly divided. They've had nothing to offer Iraq save subversion and incitement. Iran is left with a role far greater than its own weight should allow.