America's 'Iraq Syndrome'

U.S. Army Spc. Deonty Eastmon secures his sector during a patrol through Al Betra, Iraq, Nov. 26, 2007, as the rest of his squad asks local residents about recent insurgent activity. Eastmon is assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Adrian Cadiz

Iraq’s Do-Nothing Legacy -- Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Defense One

Eleven years have now passed since United States armed forces invaded Iraq and pushed Saddam Hussein from power. But the political reverberations of the 2003 military intervention continue to be felt. And they have only grown stronger with the distance of time. The 2003 invasion now looms over every decision to act – or not act – America takes.

More than 4,000 American servicemen and women died in Iraq. And from 2003-2012, America spent $60 billion for “relief and reconstruction” of the country, according to the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. Yet today Iraq is in chaos, with deadly violence, a dysfunctional government and a thriving al-Qaeda-aligned insurgency gaining hold in cities that Americans gave their lives to secure. This February, at least 700 Iraqis died in violence consuming the country. Hundreds more deaths in Anbar province – home to the rising al-Qaeda forces — remain reported but unconfirmed because security concerns keep United Nations officials from the area.

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My Comment: The debate on Iraq is going to go on for a very long time. But in the end .... I know that the U.S. will (and they have) acknowledged that they did make mistakes .... but they did leave Iraq on the request of the Iraqis, and the U.S. did build the rudimentary institutions for Iraq to prosper and grow. The fact that the Iraqi leadership failed to take advantage of this .... and instead crumbled into a sectarian and religious divide is their fault and not the international community. As for how Iraq has influenced U.S. foreign policy .... the U.S. is involved in numerous conflicts in the world .... albeit through special forces and/or CIA contractors. But in the big conflicts .... like Syria .... the U.S. has clearly made a decision to stay out.