Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials -- June 12, 2014

U.S. and Kuwaiti troops unite to close the gate between Kuwait and Iraq after the last military convoys passed through, Dec. 18, 2011, signaling the end of Operation New Dawn. U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Jordan Johnson

We Never Should Have Left Iraq -- Reihan Salam, Slate

A U.S. military presence could have mollified Sunnis and prevented the new civil war.

The United States made a grave mistake by invading Iraq in 2003. Yet it also made a grave mistake by withdrawing its military forces in 2011.

The notion that we were wrong to go in but that we were also wrong to get out is hard to comprehend for many people. Once Americans collectively settled on the idea that the Iraq War was a disaster, it was perhaps inevitable that we’d want to wash our hands of the whole ordeal. President Obama appeared to do just that when he declared in December of 2011 that “we’re leaving behind a sovereign, stable, and self-reliant Iraq,” knowing full well that we were doing no such thing. The disaster that is the Iraq War did not end when the last convoy of U.S. combat troops left the country more than three years ago, as many of us are now learning as the fragile Iraqi state loses ground to Sunni extremists.

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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials

Obama hints at military action in Iraq. Are airstrikes the only option? -- Howard Lafranchi, CSM

What is going on in Iraq and why? -- AP

Mosul is burning, and Iraq could still get worse. Here are 5 reasons why -- Dan Lamothe, Washington Post

The capture of Mosul: Terror’s new headquarters -- The Economist

Sunni militants’ march into Iraq undo what US sought -- Nicole Gaouette, US News and World Report

Obama Administration Eyes Action in Iraq -- Lauren Fox, US News and World Report

The Middle East’s mounting danger -- Washington Post editorial

ISIS bids for global jihad leadership with Mosul attack -- Bruce Riedel, Al-Moniotr

Who Sold North Korea a New Anti-Ship Missile? -- Zachary Keck, The Diplomat

Why China Won’t Eclipse the United States -- Ali Wyne, Daily Beast

Obama Quits Afghanistan -- Victor Davis Hanson, NRO

It Wasn’t Just Bergdahl. On Afghanistan, All of America Is AWOL. -- Michael Daly, Daily Beast

Protests erupt in São Paulo, but not all Brazilians anti-World Cup -- Stephen Kurczy, CSM

Is this the moment Russia sent tanks into Ukraine as the West's attention was focused on chaos in Iraq? -- Will Stewart, Daily Mail

On The Edge Of Civil War In Ukraine -- Mike Giglio, Buzz Feed

German Defense Minister: 'Russia Has Destroyed a Massive Amount of Trust' (Interview) -- Spiegel Online