WHERE THE SABOTAGE COMES FROM

The Anglo-American liberation of Iraq was the most revolutionary occurrence in the Arab/Muslim world since the overthrow of the Ottoman empire.

The potential emergence of a democratic Iraq is a dagger poised at the heart of three very different kinds of neighbouring dictatorships - the Shia Iranian mullahs to the east, the secular nationalists of Syria to the north-west and the Saudi monarchy to the south-west.

So when we look for the sources of the instability in Iraq today, be it in the form of sabotage of a key oil pipeline or the continuing attacks on Allied forces, we need look no further than the surrounding states with most to lose. But they are acting out of fear, not self-confidence. They are scared to death that the Iraqi experiment will work and create an unstoppable momentum for change in their own countries.