The withdrawal of American troops from Iraq is a watershed moment in the geopolitics of the Middle East.
Over the years, America’s imperial-style invasion of countries around the world has been responsible for some of the most intractable problems facing those countries in general and the region in particular. While the origins of interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states go right back to the Cold War, it acquired a new avatar following the 9/11 attacks on American soil.
Determined to “rid the world of terrorism” and “put an end to the anti-American terror groups wherever they are”, American politicians and troops exhibited a trigger-happy attitude—shooting their way into somebody else’s home with zero regard for their lives, international law, and civilized conduct that is expected of the world’s so-called “superpower”. Iraq was one of the most unfortunate victims of this unbridled American aggression.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Launched in March 2003, America’s invasion of Iraq was aimed at dismantling the regime of Saddam Hussein in order to “liberate the people of the country from his tyrannical regime”, “find stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction” and “remodel the country in accordance with American institutional ideals”.
While the Saddam government collapsed within weeks, no WMDs were ever found. This clearly underlines the fact that the then-sovereign government of Iraq was made a scapegoat for satisfying American greed—the need for capturing Iraqi oil. While Saddam was gone, it triggered a prolonged instability in the country. Under Barack Obama, American troops were withdrawn in 2011 following prolonged international condemnation and a decade-long insurgency that wanted American troops out of the country.
Return to Iraq
Iraq’s respite from the American military withdrawal was short-lived. In 2014, under Operation Inherent Resolve, American troops returned to Iraqi bases—this time to combat the ISIS* (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) group. The group that became ISIS* started as an insurgent network in Iraq established by the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in 2003–2004. Zarqawi’s group fought U.S.-led forces and Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government, later rebranding as Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI*). After Zarqawi’s death in 2006 and the subsequent leadership changes, the organization reconsolidated itself under Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, exploited the conditions created by the Syrian civil war, and split from Al-Qaeda* to become the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS*).
In this context, America must be squarely blamed for the creation of the conditions that led to the development of the dreaded terror group. The vacuum of power created by years of Western institutional dismantling coupled with the cross-border destabilization in Syria made it easy for ISIS* to run amok. To make matters worse, U.S. military detention facilities in Iraq—such as Camp Bucca—served as networking and radicalization hubs. This is exactly where captured extremist leaders and moderate detainees were incarcerated together, allowing controversial figures like Baghdadi to forge alliances and build the group’s future leadership with little to no checks by the American authorities.
For more than a decade, American troops occupied strategic areas like the Ain-al-Asad Airbase and took positions across the Kurdistan region, effectively circumscribing Iraqi sovereign decision-making and using Iraqi territory to indulge in regional power projection. The long trajectory culminated in the final troop withdrawal under President Trump.
Impact on the Middle East
For Iraq, it is a defining moment. It will enable Baghdad to negotiate an independent, balanced foreign policy through regional consensus rather than being held hostage by extra-regional forces. It also signals the beginning of a new chapter for the Middle East in which sovereign actors like Iraq, Syria, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Iran, among others can solve their mutually antagonistic issues with sensibility and peace without being subject to interference by Washington and its acolytes. Despite the ongoing challenges, the region can certainly look forward to a future where children can actually enjoy their childhood, where there would be a general improvement in the quality of life and most importantly—the security of human survival.
* terrorist organizations banned in Russia
Pranay Kumar Shome, a research analyst who is a PhD candidate at Mahatma Gandhi Central University, Bihar, India
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