US diplomat Brett McGurk is being teased again. In 2008, he was in Iraq, negotiating with Nouri al-Maliki’s government the ‘Status of Forces Agreement’ that determined the withdrawal of American soldiers. At the same time, he was having an affair with a Wall Street Journal reporter. Emails between the pair were leaked a few years later when Barack Obama nominated McGurk to become ambassador to Iraq. ‘Stop being such a tease!’ ‘Call me before you come over.’ ‘I had a very real case of blue balls last night!’
Today, McGurk is leading the Biden administration’s negotiations to ‘normalise’ the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the Saudi’s have just dangled it right in front of him. In return for normalisation, they want a security agreement with America, for easier access to American military equipment; they want America to help them build a civilian nuclear programme, for access to American nuclear material and technology; and they want a less regulated arms trade.
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