Iraqi Outcome

The Iraqi Prime Minister has stated his nation does not need US troops in his country at this time. The need for them has passed. Given the standing threats from Turkey, Syria, Russia, Iran and other minor players, his position is surprising.

Now the question needs to be asked: What strategic interest does the US have in Iraq at this point in time? Is it in our interest to remain and safeguard the region? If so, why and from whom? If the region is in peril, what would its loss mean to the US?

If the peril is slight, and if the loss of the nation to US interests means little, then the Iraqi PM is correct. Remove the troops and focus on other meaningful duties.

Iraq represents an enormous gamble by the US to secure the region because Saddam Hussein was a tyrant and was killing his own people. Actually, more of a case could be made that the then sitting president of the US (George W) was intent on revenge against Hussein. That case has been made several times and is compelling.

Meanwhile, thousands of US troop deaths were sustained, injuries by the hundreds of thousands were incurred, and life-long disabilities are the result for many thousands of US military personnel. The US treasury was sacked to the tune of at least $4 trillion. Giving up and withdrawing our troops now is tantamount to an admission of futility, of failure in Iraq. If I am wrong with that conclusion, then someone please point out the positive outcomes from our presence there.

Nation building was the objective in Iran after removing Saddam. That was the first priority set by the Commander In Chief. The second objective, however, was more complicated and involved remaking the nation into a reliable partner and form of government with which we could build defensible military options. The region is unstable and a threat to oil and other strategic interests. Protecting Israel is but one of those interests.

So, we hazarded our way into the region and did the dirty dance. A lot of innocent people paid the price of this folly. It is now up to historians to figure out the outcomes and value of them. My hunch is we didn’t need to be there at all.

Rather than saving millions of Iraqi lives, we actually witnessed at least a million civilian deaths in the civil war that resulted from our heavy handedness. Historical treasurers were looted and lost forever. The balance of power in the middle east is still imbalanced and fragile, volatile. Our work has not helped with that at all.

Still other civilian lives were upended in the millions. Destroyed housing, quality of life, unstable economic conditions and disabilities from war injuries were the horror visited on the Iraqi people. No wonder they want the troops gone. They want the occupation over and done.

Perhaps the Iraqi PM is correct? If he isn’t, then we had better understand the why of that response.

July 29, 2021