By Salama A Salama Since day one of the Bush presidency, US media cast Vice-President Dick Cheney as the country's top policymaker. And when the 9/11 attacks took place, the media got secretive about Cheney's whereabouts, as if he were more important for America than his boss. We discovered later that Cheney was a master of disaster. He masterminded the worst disinformation campaign in US history, the one that led to the war on Iraq. He led the neo- cons in one of the darkest episodes of US history. But President Bush still sees Cheney as his top trouble-shooter. In the last six months, Cheney came to the region twice. The first time was when Iraq erupted in bloody sectarian strife, and Sunni Arab countries were infuriated. Following Cheney's tour, Donald Rumsfeld was sent packing and Washington deployed more troops in Iraq. The second time was a few days ago. Cheney arrived in the region in chaotic times. The US security plan for Iraq is evidently at an impasse. Nuri Al-Maliki's government is nowhere near reaching the expectations of the Sharm El-Sheikh conference. Cheney tried to get the Iraqi government to fulfil its promises. Back in Washington, things aren't good either. Congress is tightening the screws on the administration, threatening to block spending unless some progress is seen in Iraq. Sooner or later, the US administration will start blaming Maliki for its failure. So what exactly is Cheney doing? Aside from telling off Maliki, the US vice- president was here to find a second line of defence; a lifeline for the Bush administration to hang onto. What would that be? Arab "moderates". Cheney was trying to mobilise Arab moderates against Tehran. If successful, the moderates will be asked to support a military strike against Iranian strategic targets. Standing aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Gulf, Cheney was sending a message to friend and foe alike. The US, he intimated, wouldn't allow Iran to have nuclear weapons or control shipping lanes in the Gulf. US presence in the Gulf is irreversible, he says, and wants us all to know. The message was not meant for Iran alone. It was meant for Arab countries as well. Arab countries are supposed to be scared of the Iranians, their nuclear prospects and their growing influence. If not, Cheney is going to take care of that. According to recent reports, Washington may use its military base in Kazakhstan to wage a surprise military strike against Iran. For the time being, Cheney is letting everyone know that the Americans are playing for keeps. He is refusing to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. He is refusing to link any other regional issues with the Iran confrontation. He doesn't want any misgivings over the Middle East conflict, Lebanon or Darfur, to stand in the way. It's all about Iran now. The US wants the UN Security Council to slam sanctions on Iran. Apart from some European efforts and diplomatic chatting in Baghdad, little is being done to defuse the crisis. For now, Europe is reluctant to encourage the Americans. But with Nicolas Sarkozy in power, you never know. Remember Tony Blair? The Iranians, meanwhile, have been trying their best to keep Arab minds at ease, with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting the United Arab Emirates. But things are still hanging in the balance. Arab moderates haven't yet gone over to the Americans, which is good. They've been bitten before. Perhaps this time they'll think twice before placing their bets. One Iraq is enough.
