The second critical factor in stabilizing Iraq was its regional neighbors’ recognition of, and in some cases support for, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government. This was a major change from the 2003-2005 period, when Iraq’s Sunni neighbors, fearing the country’s new Shiite elite, actively opposed the US occupation.
让伊拉克稳定下来的第二个重要因素是该地区的邻国对马利基总理领导的政府的承认甚至是在某些情况下的支持。这和2003至2005间那段时期大不相同。在那段时期内，伊拉克的那些逊尼派邻国因为害怕伊拉克的新的精英们，积极地反对美国军队的占领。