I don't think they would go out of their way to violate protocol.

Iraqi businessmen had been bringing back the funds that they held abroad. Now that it doesn't look like the oil income is going to come, Iraq is going to be in a very difficult situation. There's going to be a tightening of belts that are already so tight that they're cutting off circulation.

It's possible we could have a deal on the nuclear matter.

Dubai is a place with few rules, but one of the few things tightly regulated is port security, and that's why the U.S. Navy feels comfortable using Dubai more than any other port in the world.

The government will get a lot of blame; why did we bring this conflict? What happened?

Traditionally it's much harder to get countries to roll back from activities that they have already begun than to persuade countries not to start something.

I think he is mistaken in his optimism,

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

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