CIAO DATE: 12/2008

The Future of the U.S. Military Presence in Iraq

September 2008

United States Institute of Peace

Abstract

The dramatic improvement in security in Iraq has changed the U.S. policy debate. The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are taking a bigger role, the Maliki government's capacity is improving and the U.S. is gradually stepping aside.

A major reduction in the U.S. role is on the horizon, yet critical questions remain. How much influence does the U.S. have on Iraqi internal affairs and on the Iraq it leaves behind? Are there buttons that Washington can push to accelerate political progress? Or is the best solution for the U.S. to get out of Iraq and focus on reallocating resources and shoring up its position worldwide?

These questions were addressed in a recent USIP public meeting, "The Future of the U.S. Military Presence in Iraq" by a panel of four Iraq experts:

• Kimberley Kagan, president of the Institute for the Study of War
• Colin Kahl, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security
• Charles Knight, co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives at the Commonwealth Institute
• Rend al-Rahim, USIP Iraq fellow

Resource link: The Future of the U.S. Military Presence in Iraq [PDF] - 125K