home > by publication type > must reads > Center for a New American Security: After the Fire: Shaping the Future U.S. Relationship with Iraq
Email
| Authors: | John A. Nagl, President of the Center for a New American Security Brian M. Burton |
|---|
June 11, 2009
This report outlines what steps the U.S. should take presently in order to secure a positive relationship with Iraq for the future.
Since 2003, debates about America's role in Iraq have focused on how to withdraw U.S. forces. Yet the search for an "end game" emphasizes a short-term objective - getting out of Iraq - and sidesteps the strategic imperative of establishing an enduring relationship with a key country in a region of vital importance to the United States. It is time for America to take the long view. Neither Iraq nor America's stake in a stable, peaceful, secure Middle East will vanish when the last American combat brigade departs. American policymakers must advance U.S. interests in Iraq and the Middle East through a long-term, low-profile engagement to help resolve Iraq's internal challenges, strengthen its government and economic institutions, and integrate it as a constructive partner in the region.
This report outlines the constraints on the U.S. role in Iraq, including the need to refocus on the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan; domestic political opinion and President Obama's pledge to end the war; and the Status of Forces Agreement with Iraq that mandates a U.S. withdrawal. At the same time, U.S. interests in preserving stability and security in the Middle East, countering transnational terrorism, and promoting responsible governance require a stable Iraq. Iraq faces a number of internal challenges to its stability, and its political, security, and economic institutions remain fragile. The United States cannot play a leading role in addressing these problems, but should support peaceful reconciliation and foster a responsibly-governed Iraqi state. The United States must help ensure that Iraqi factions cement the progress that has been made and settle their outstanding internal disputes through negotiated processes rather than violence. It must also make a concerted effort to improve the capacity and strengthen the institutional base of Iraq's government and economy. To bolster regional security while balancing against Iran's increasing power, America should cultivate Iraq as a long-term ally while developing strong bilat-eral and multilateral security and economic ties between Iraq and other U.S. partners in the Middle East. By facilitating Iraq's reintegration into the region, the United States can help ensure that the country reemerges as a constructive player in the Middle East, a development that would advance American national security.
To order Task Force reports, Council Special Reports, and Critical Policy Choices, please call, fax, or order online from our distributor, the Brookings Institution Press: phone +1.800.537.5487, fax +1.410.516.6998.
For information on other reports that are not for sale, or for general publications information, please call +1.212.434.9516 or email publications@cfr.org.
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.