Even Obama and Biden admitted America won the Iraq War. So important was it to re-win it that Obama began Iraq War 2.0. And Trump concluded it. I know that is hard to recognize, but it's true.
In Iraq, where American military forces liberated the country from the evil clutches of Saddam Hussein just a few years ago, the independence of an American ally is increasingly in doubt. Iranian sympathizers exist at all levels of Iraqi’s government bureaucracy and legal system. Iraqi governmental decisions are made not in the best interests of the Iraqi people, but in the best interests of Iran’s mullahs. This perverse Iranian influence threatens American interests and undermines two decades of U.S. effort in blood and treasure to bring democracy and prosperity to Iraq. The Iranian influence affects national policy and the daily lives of Iraqis.
America needlessly walked away from the "good war" and let the Taliban win. So I can totally see us walking away from this phase of the Iraq War because this administration looves mullah-run Iran.
And I don't know if we have it in us to wage Iraq War 3.0 no matter how necessary it is.
I worry. But no disaster so far. Hopefully enough Iraqis don't want to be a Persian vassal. But how many times before Iraq War 2.0 did I warn that we were ignoring a deteriorating situation in Iraq? A lot.
I'd be remiss if I didn't link to Eric who continues to diligently focus on the importance of Iraq, including in the face of Iran's current threat, and defend the decision to destroy the Saddam regime in 2003. Sadly this could still go either way and compel Iraq War 3.0.
Have a super sparkly Smart Diplomacy® day.
UPDATE: I missed this news when I was on vacation:
The bulk of U.S. forces will depart Iraq over the next two years, leaving only a residual force in the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan to provide security to Iraqi Kurds and sustain U.S. forces in Syria, according to Iraqi officials cited in a Sept. 12 report in the Washington Post. ...
A premature U.S. departure from Iraq that ignores the advice of military leaders and conditions on the ground risks repeating the mistakes of past withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan and catalyzing an ISIS resurgence.
I feared we'd be this stupid. But I didn't think we'd be this stupid.
To be fair to the Iraqis who asked us to leave, they must fear the Iranians more than they feel they can count on us to back them when their lives are on the line. And if ISIL rises again? Well that's Tomorrow Iraq's problem. Today Iraq has to cope with Iranian power. If we can't protect a former American president from two assassination attempts in a single summer, what chance to Iraqi leaders have in the face of trained Iranian killers?
When asked to leave, of course we leave. But it's on us for driving the Iraqis to ask us to leave.
When I scheduled this post before I want on vacation, I had no idea how timely it would be.
Have that day again.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.NOTE: You may also read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved.