Go Big or Go Home; Iraq Needs U.S. Ground Troops More Than Ever

Council on Foreign Relations

U.S. soldiers carry an Iraqi national flag and a U.S. flag during a ceremony in Baghdad. (Courtesy Reuters)
 

 " ...U.S. President Barack Obama has insisted that Iraq needs an inclusive government capable of winning support among not only the country’s Shia majority but also its Sunni minority. Obama also declared that the formation of such a government must precede any attempt to defeat ISIS. Washington’s current military intervention reflects that analysis: until Baghdad agrees to Washington’s political vision, the United States has declared that it will commit only to conducting limited air strikes -- that is to say, air strikes that are sufficient to halt the extremists’ progress but not to defeat them.

"Washington’s strategy is backward. Any diplomatic leverage in Iraq would come from demonstrating that it can defeat ISIS. In other words, if the United States wants to influence the political situation in Iraq, it must first make itself an indispensable military player there."...
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"There is a window of opportunity to steer Iraq toward a better future and a closer relationship with the West, but doing so will require a significant military commitment from the United States. Obama is facing a go-big-or-go-home moment in Iraq. How he responds will help determine not only that country’s future but also his own foreign policy legacy."   Full article..