Wikileaks: Ayad Allawi Totally Saudi Backed Iraqi Leader

The Saudi dalliance in Iraqi politics was not simply limited to the Kurds. It was so widespread and many politicians were involved.

Ayad Allawi has long been a darling of certain diplomatic and military circles in Washington even though he has declining credibility in Baghdad, where he has cultivated a reputation for being lazy and for wanting to be coronated as Iraqi leader through the political intervention of regional states rather than working, campaigning, and competing in the democratic arena along with everyone else.

Well, now it seems that Allawi was on the Saudi payroll as well. The documents appear to show that the Saudis gave Allawi 2,000 Hajj permits which he could distribute. (Not everyone can simply board a plane and show up for the Hajj; as part of their crown control, the Saudis allocate a quota to each country. Some countries distribute these by lottery, others sell the permits, and some simply use them as patronage). If Allawi sold his permits, he could reap quite a windfall.