U.S. troops are leaving Iraq. What does that mean for U.S. influence in the region?

Consider This from NPR

The episode examines the conclusion of a two-decade U.S. military presence in Iraq as forces withdraw under Operation Inherent Resolve. It e

Key takeaways

• The U.S. withdrawal is occurring quietly without the fanfare seen in previous military exits.
• President Trump's policy aims to avoid 'endless wars,' influencing the decision to depart.

Main topics

• U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq
• Iranian influence in the Middle East

Notable quotes

It marks, though, the conclusion of a chapter that has shaped many Americans' view of the Middle East and what popularized the term forever war.

Conclusion

The withdrawal represents a major turning point in Middle Eastern geop

Transcript preview

Speaker 3 (0:00) It's Consider This, where every day we go deep on one big news story. An historic milestone in Iraq this week. U.S. forces are withdrawing after a two-decade-long military presence. Speaker 1 (0:14) My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger. Speaker 3 (0:27) That was President George W. Bush announcing the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2003. Later that year, the U.S. toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, but the security situation worsened. Over the course of the war, there were thousands of U.S. troop casualties and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi deaths. Now, the most recent phase of U.S. military engagement in Iraq Operation Inherent Resolve will end in low-key fashion with the departure of only a few hundred soldiers. It marks, though, the conclusion of a chapter that has shaped many Americans' view of the Middle East and that popularized the term forever war, the kind of conflict that President Trump has vowed to avoid. Speaker 4 (1:16) I know there's a bit of Iraq fatigue amongst the American public or policymakers in D.C. But that doesn't take away from the fact that the United States has spent a lot of years, a lot of money, and a lot of lives in Iraq. And so the success of Iraq is still important to many, and it ties the two countries together. Speaker 3 (1:37) Hamza Haddad is an Iraqi political analyst with the Center for New American Security, who used to be based in Baghdad. He says just because U.S. troops are leaving Iraq, doesn't mean the U.S. is relinquishing military power in the region. The U.S. will maintain a large diplomatic presence, and it has military capacity in other parts of the Gulf and the Middle East. Yet, Iraq is still central to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran and is caught in the crossfire. Speaker 4 (2:08) Iraq is the only country in the region in the last year that's been bombed by both the United States and Iran. It kind of gives you an idea that the proxy battleground that Iraq Iraq presents. Speaker 3 (2:19) Consider this. America's final troop withdrawal from Iraq ends more than 20 years of military engagement. Where does that leave U.S. influence in the region? And does it present opportunities for other nations to fill the vacuum? From NPR, I'm Debbie Elliott. Speaker 8 (2:43) This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (3:07) Hey, what's your problem? No, seriously. Are your grocery bills too high? Are you spending too much time on your phone? Maybe you're searching for a new job or you're trying