And the bearish mood has spilled beyond the Gulf to Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia.

ECONOMIST: Shares take a tumble in the Gulf

Beyond Iraq, Turkey, a U.S. ally, borders Syria as do Jordan and Lebanon.

CNN: Why Syria should matter to Americans

Ms Jordan says that, despite pressure, she clung to her belief that the prosecutors failed to demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt that Messrs Kozlowski and Swartz intentionally meant to defraud Tyco or its shareholders.

ECONOMIST: The Tyco mistrial