Quotes by Patrick Clawson

“There are lots of problems in Iraq, and this episode was done by some nasty actors who are not friendly to the United States.”

“He is not an agent, but he wants to work with Iran to the extent it is compatible with Iraqs best interest.”

“He is a very ambitious man, he thinks he has a role to play in the future of the country.”

“I dont think they would go out of their way to violate protocol.”

“I think he is mistaken in his optimism,”

“Iraqi businessmen had been bringing back the funds that they held abroad. Now that it doesnt look like the oil income is going to come, Iraq is going to be in a very difficult situation. Theres going to be a tightening of belts that are already so tight that theyre cutting off circulation.”

“Iraq has performed miracles in going from destroyed ministry buildings and staff not showing up for work to creating a government. But it is still a fragile society that lacks skilled decision makers and political consensus, so it wont have a fully functioning government anytime soon.”

“The focus on smart sanctions makes sense because they work the best. Big economic sanctions would not only be difficult to get, but Iran has vast foreign reserves from its oil revenues, so they can ride out what gets thrown at them.”

“There are a lot of people in Iran who think this guys a real risk-taker. Lets play on the splits.”

“Had the matter been delayed for a whole month it would have been portrayed by Iran as a victory.”