Is Iraq A Strategic Debacle For The U.S.?

Kuwaiti soldiers look on as the last U.S. convoy crosses the border into Kuwait from Iraq, Dec. 18, 2011. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jordan Johnson

Losing Iraq -- Frederick W. Kagan & Kimberly Kagan, NRO

We face a strategic debacle.

President Obama announced the “end of America’s war in Iraq” on December 14, 2011, with the words, “We’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq, with a representative government that was elected by its people. We’re building a new partnership between our nations.” These were the conditions that he felt allowed him to describe the completion of America’s military withdrawal as a “moment of success.” Nine months later, Iraq does not seem like a success, even in these extremely limited terms. It is neither sovereign nor stable nor self-reliant. Its government does not reflect the will of its people; Sunni officials have been marginalized and, in some cases, driven out of office. And it is not a partner of the United States on any of the key issues in the region: From its evasion of economic sanctions on Iran to its support for the Syrian regime of Bashar Assad, Iraq stands in Tehran’s camp, not Washington’s. The reality is that the United States has not achieved its national-security objectives in Iraq and is not likely to do so.

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My Comment: What's my take .... there has never been any good options when it came to leaving Iraq. Sectarian tensions and conflict, a culture of corruption, pervasive poverty and a dysfunctional government .... leaving the country was the best of all available options .... and it was also the determined goal of President Obama from day one. I know that many are arguing that a certain level of US forces should have remained .... 5,000 to 10,000 soldiers .... but I fail to see what difference it would have made. Iraq is a huge and diverse country .... any U.S. presence .... even a token one .... would only have served to be a rallying cry for extremists and a target for the more militant ones .... and in the end, would not have made any difference on the direction that Iraq is going now .... whatever that is.