The Soviet Union and US and Britain had fought during the Menshevik-Bolshevik conflict in a way, but later they got together to fight a common enemy. It could be that bin Laden and the Iraquis recognize the US as a common enemy in the same way. It is also very true that bin Laden is running out of places to hide in the open. Iraq, if it is not invadable, might be such a place. Also the Iraquis desperately need a facilitator and bin Laden is one such miracle worker to the Arabs. He is a practical construction guy and he can get things done and built and this must be attractive to both of them.
It is also true that as aggressive and bellicose as Baghdad is, the Babylonians have never gone far from their borders in thousands of years and could not defeat a weakened Iran. It may be that the Saudis recognize that historical precedent and as weak as their own army is, they know that Baghdad would not risk an adventure that far afield into the Peninsula again. But if the Iraquis backed bin Laden at a palace coup against the Saudis (who he must now bitterly resent), and that also had popular support, what could the Syrians, Egyptians, or the US do? Again that has to look good to the Iraquis. They would get enormous influence in the area, and possibly and anti US oil coalition.
Would the US put down a popular revolt against the Saudis? Is such a thing possible? The answer is yes and yes. It may not appear that people are seething in discontent in Saudi Arabia but to many it would have appeared that Algeria and Egypt were stable states too. We used to think so about Iran in the popular understanding. But Egypt and Algeria are teetering. They could fall at any moment. If they do the Saudis are not long for the world. The Kuwaitis are bought off by oil money. The Saudis are not so generous. The new generation of Arabs, not yet powerful, reject both the US and traditional values. A group want socialism, some want Islamic states, all want to get rid of the nepotistic status quo. The Islamics win because the middle guard of middle aged power Arabs swim in that sea -- and money talks.
All those states that have ruled by the sword will be replaced by people who rule by the Kalashnikov, the Koran and the Arab version of Das Kapital. In the Arab world the democratic vote has long been undermined and sabotaged by the consensus of religion, kinship, and racial homogeneity.
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