By Geoff LaMear
Amid news that President Joe Biden plans to withdraw—or redefine the role of—combat troops in Iraq, U.S. decision-makers should double down on the strategy and withdraw all military forces–not just combat troops–from the country.
The risks of staying in Iraq are high, while the potential rewards are ambiguous at best. The only obvious reward for staying is to prevent an ISIS resurgence. Some caution that ISIS could return, akin to 2014 when the group achieved a series of rapid conquests. According to this logic, U.S. withdrawal from Iraq produced disaster then and will do so again. But the truth is more complicated and has more to do with Iraq than the United States.
The catastrophes which befell Iraq in 2014 stemmed from factors outside what U.S. military support could have addressed. At the time, the Iraqi government was blatantly sectarian and alienated Sunni Muslims. This allowed ISIS to capitalize on grievances and recruit fighters. Furthermore, Iraq’s military was systemically corrupt, politicized, and hobbled by poor morale.
This piece was originally published in 1945 on August 3, 2021. Read more HERE.