Though three years have passed since Iraq invaded Kuwait only to be expelled by a U.S.-led coalition, a major piece of unfinished business still needs to be transacted in the Persian Gulf.
We're referring to efforts by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates - which have yet to follow through on plans to form a joint defense force.These Arab states could afford to go slow on joint defense efforts if Saddam Hussein had been ousted from power or if Iraq had been effectively disarmed in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War.
Instead, Saddam is still as powerful and brutal as ever, leading Iraq not only to buy up conventional weapons at bargain basement prices from the remnants of the disintegrated Soviet Union but also striving to acquire nuclear weapons.
Yet the Arab states remain foolishly divided on the role and size of the proposed joint defense force. Incredibly, these states can't even agree on whether or not to let Iran join the unified defense force - a move that would be sheer folly since Iran is just about as hostile to moderate neighboring governments as Iraq ever was.
The West will remain interested in helping to defend the Arab states as long as the West is heavily dependent on oil from the petroleum-rich Persian Gulf and, hence, dependent on peace and stability in the gulf.
But there are limits to the West's patience. Eventually it will find more reliable sources of fuel if the gulf insists on living on the edge of a cliff. Consequently, the United States and its allies should put the Arab states on notice that they can't always rely on others to ride to their rescue.
Victory in war does not automatically translate into victory in the ensuing peace. If the Arab states can't or won't show a greater sense of urgency and put together their promised joint defense force, the allied victory in the Persian Gulf could easily turn into ashes.