Foreign Affairs Report: The Iraq War
Historians will long debate what the consequences might have been of different decisions in the Iraq War at key turning points. At this magazine, we were participating in these debates in real time; here are some highlights of our coverage of the war over the last decade:
After four years in exile, the former radical Shia militant Muqtada al-Sadr returned to Iraq in early 2011. For the past two years, he has sought to rebrand himself as a moderate with an inclusive message — but it remains unclear whether Iraqis should accept his new persona as genuine.
Welcome to the World’s Next Failed State
Weeks after the last U.S. soldier finally left the country, Iraq is on the road to becoming a failed state, with a deadlocked political system, an authoritarian leader, and a looming threat of disintegration. Baghdad can still pull itself together, but only if Washington starts applying the right kind of democratic pressure — and fast. Full article here.
Why the U.S. Should Raise Taxes—Just As it Has in Previous Conflicts
Most Americans have made no sacrifices at all for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The burden should be shared. It’s long past time for Congress to enact a wartime tax, something it’s done in almost every war in the past, says James Wright. Read more here.
Why the United States Should Withdraw this December
The White House has been pressuring Maliki to invite U.S. troops to stay in Iraq after the upcoming deadline for withdrawal. It should stop. There are no good reasons for the military to stay. Read more here.
Image via ReutersIn the latest Snapshot, Michael Eisenstadt writes that “perhaps the greatest potential source of U.S. influence in Iraq is the fear that many Iraqis harbor about their country’s future.” What do you think the United States should leave behind in Iraq?
Mohsen M. Milani writes “Iran wants Iraq to be a stable Shiite neighbor but also wants to have retaliatory capabilities against the United States and make the U.S. occupation difficult to bear.” Read his new snapshot and let us know what your thoughts are on U.S.-Iranian tensions.
This August marks both the 20th anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom, scheduled to finish on August 31st. While victory was decisive in the case of Operation Desert Storm, the ultimate outcome of Operation Iraqi Freedom remains unclear. Despite doubts as to the strength of Iraqi Security Forces, Michael Wahid Hanna argued in this article that the United States should uphold withdrawal commitments.
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