TRUMP MUST FINISH THE JOB IN IRAQ
February 16, 2025
By Yassn Fawaz
For almost two decades, Iraq was at the center of U.S. foreign policy, absorbing huge sums and costing thousands of American lives. Now, just a few years later, it risks fading into geopolitical obscurity—forgotten by the U.S. public and by policymakers as well. That would be a mistake.
Donald Trump built his brand on disrupting the status quo, whether in politics or foreign affairs. His first term saw major shifts in the Middle East, from the assassination of Iran’s Qassem Soleimani to the Abraham Accords between Israel and several Gulf and other Arab states. Now, he begins his second term with a clear inclination to shake things up again.
In that context, Iraq should be front and center. The government in Baghdad must be held accountable for harboring and legitimizing Iran-backed militias, the very forces that have destabilized the region for years.
As part of such a move, the regime in Iran would also be put in its place. For too long, Tehran has meddled in the affairs of Arab countries via a network of militias that it partly funds, supports, and occasionally directs. This so-called “Axis of Resistance” has suffered major blows in the past year because of the regional conflict sparked by the October 7 massacre in Israel by Iranian-backed Hamas.
Hamas is now badly degraded in Gaza. Hezbollah has been thrashed in Lebanon. Yemen’s Houthis, emboldened by Iran, face the real prospect of serious Western retaliation for their outrageous impeding of commercial traffic in the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Syrian dictatorship has collapsed.
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