Realism in Iraq
Iraq’s future, if it still has one, will depend, first, on Iraqi Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds, and, second, on Iraq’s neighbors and their interests and risk calculations. But even if Iraq falls apart after an eventual US withdrawal, containing the consequences of its disintegration will require a regional consensus that only the US can bring about.
The Washington mountain has labored and brought forth less than a mouse. General David Petreaus and President George W. Bush have spoken, but United States policy in Iraq remains as it was. This policy has led the US into a trap, so that now the largest and most important power in the world is facing only bad options.