US has actually constructed the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad
KARACHI: Lately there have been speculations about whether American forces will leave Iraq as a result of the Iraqi parliamentary resolution and recently held large-scale demonstrations demanding the US withdrawal. One might wonder what moral authority the Trump regime may have to brazenly defy a sovereign country’s democratically elected parliament. The answer is not so simple, and requires one to understand what is the raison d’être for US presence in Iraq. To begin with, the US has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in building vast military complexes and consulates across Iraq with the intention of solidifying control over land, air and sea corridors of the oil rich and volatile region. The US has actually constructed the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad covering an area of more than 100 acres. It is no secret that this extremely costly project is for strategic objectives such as controlling the Iraqi energy resources; closely monitoring Iran, Syria and Lebanon; and last but not the least to shield Israel by being the first line of defence.
Considering the above, it seems highly unlikely that the US would be willing to exit Iraq on its own accord, especially at this crucial juncture when it is vying for influence with both Russia and Iran in the region. Hence, only something unintended and consequential enough can result in a US withdrawal from Iraq such as an unanticipated outcome of the upcoming US elections or an exceptionally unfavourable ground situation in Iraq.
The fact of the matter is that it is not Iran or Russia or any other external force that will decide the future of the US troops in Iraq. But it is wholly and solely the Iraqi nation that will ultimately determine whether they will carve out their own fate independently or continue to allow foreign powers to shape the destiny of their future generations.
Mirza Muhammad Ali Hossain
Published in The Express Tribune, April 15th, 2020.
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