President Donald J. Trump, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, arrives on stage to addresses his remarks to U.S. troops Wednesday, December 26, 2018, at the Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)
Cato Institute Senior Fellow, Doug Bandow, notes President Trump’s great achievements in avoiding what he calls “Full Neocon” foreign policy by beginning the exit process for American forces in Syria and Afghanistan. Bandow goes on to suggest that Trump should consider exiting Iraq too. He writes at The American Conservative (abridged):
The driving force behind American foreign policy in recent years has been hubris. The United States sees itself as the essential unipower, endowed with the right, indeed the duty, to intervene around the world. Any nation that gets in the way must be crushed—but in a moral, compassionate way.
Fortunately, President Donald Trump rejects Full Neocon, the foreign policy equivalent of the Full Monty. In his State of the Union speech, he declared: “Great countries do not fight endless wars.” He appears ready to pull U.S. troops out of Syria and Afghanistan.
Unfortunately, hubris continues to dominate his administration’s policy towards another nation: Iraq.
The Bush administration invaded Iraq based on a lie and a fantasy. The former was Baghdad’s supposed possession of a nuclear program; the latter was the expectation that adoring acolytes would enthusiastically create America on the Euphrates.
The president recognizes the folly of endless war in the Middle East. It’s time for him to apply that same skepticism to Iraq. America’s security is best served by staying out of conflicts in a region of diminishing importance.
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