The Iraq Conference in Bagdad comes at a  critical  time in the life of Iraq  as well as at a particular conjuncture in the international system. Of course there is a need to save Iraq from partition. At the same time the change in the international system that started to take shape following the September 11 attacks is coming to fruition. After some ups and downs in the transatlantic relations,finally the US and Europe seem to be on the same track. Despite the recent speech of President Putin   acknowledging  the existence of a uni-polar world, Russia feeling strong with  oil and gas money tries to influence world affairs,particularly in Asia and the Middle East. China  appears in the offing,but not yet a determinant power.

What can we expect from the Iraq Conference under the circumstances? No doubt,in the background  we may expect the struggle between the US and Russia for influence in the region.The US is starting from a  vulnerable position because of the turmoil in Iraq. Russia is not the powerful Soviet Union that  once supported many Arab counties in the region. The European Union, destined to play a global role at the sides of the US may come in  and try to convince  others that the time is  for exercising  soft power  instead  of hard power.

If the Conference agrees that the soft power  would be the  policy to be employed,then they may  decide the best course to be followed. They  may first of all agree that in the last decade the Middle East has changed beyond recognition.They may find out that as a  consequence there is a widening gap between the Western World and the Islamic World. They may also observe  the boomerang effect of that gap in Iraq. That may lead the participants in the Conference to look for ways and means to close that gap. Developments in Lebanon last year was a reminder  that there was a problem to be solved in the region. It is hard to separate two problems in the narrow corridor of the Middle East,one in the East,Iraq, and one in the West,the Palestinian problem. It was no coincidence that at the beginning of the Iraq War the Road Map prepared by the Quartet was presented to the interested parties. Again it is no coincidence that the Quartet met at the beginning of February 2007 when things really deteriorated in Iraq.This week the US Secretary of State is in the region to have the talks started between the Palestinian President and the Israeli Prime Minister.   Today there is a chance to do something about it. There is alredy the Arab Peace Plan initiated by the King of Saudi Arabia and adopted by the Arab League in 2002. There is  already a new Palestinian government.  Above all there seems to be a will all around to solve the problem. If the linkage between Palestine and Irak is seriously considered, then there will be real chance for the Iraq Conference to succeed.