Gareth Stansfield has written a very important report for Chatham House on the current realities on the ground in Iraq. Of particular interest to me are these two findings:

"Each of Iraq’s three major neighbouring states, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, has different reasons for seeing the instability there continue, and each uses different methods to influence developments."

"These current harsh realities need to be accepted if new strategies are to have any chance of preventing the failure and collapse of Iraq. A political solution will require engagement with organizations possessing popular legitimacy and needs to be an Iraqi accommodation, rather than a regional or US-imposed approach."

Together they provide additional support for the need for a comprehensive political agreement in Iraq and the broader region - a key finding of the NEASFram plan.