Middle East: How the Region Views the SOFA

The Status of Forces Agreement signed by the United States and Iraq on Nov. 17 still has a few hurdles to surmount, but it has a good chance of being ratified by Iraq's parliament. In all likelihood, most if not all U.S. forces will be out of Iraq by the end of 2011. As this inevitability sinks in, the main regional players — Israel, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Syria — are already starting to envision and prepare for a new reality in the region.