All US Troops Leaving Iraq

Bill Keller offers lessons from Iraq

(NEWSER) - As the drum-beating grows louder on Iran and Syria, Bill Keller looks back on Iraq and beyond. To avoid a debacle, there are five questions we should ask ourselves before entering a war, he writes in the New York Times :

1. "How is this our fight?" Are American interests directly involved, as in Afghanistan after 9/11? Are we supporting an ally? Or are we simply "promoting freedom"?
2. "At what cost?" While Libya was easily targeted at low risk to American troops, an attack on Syria would mean, in one military expert's view, "we'd be killing a lot more people." Then there's the cost of stretching troops and the financial implications of war.

Conservatives react to Andrew Sullivan's article

(NEWSER) - Andrew Sullivan's unflinching defense of President Obama in Newsweek is irking conservative bloggers today. No wonder, considering the headline: "Why Are Obama's Critics So Dumb?" Taking on the right, Sullivan calls Obamacare a "moderate," fiscally responsible program, and says "a depression was averted" with Obama's $787-billion stimulus package. Engaging the left, he lists successes such as the Iraq pullout and advances in gay rights. Obama "practices a show-don’t-tell, long-game" that takes time to mature, Sullivan writes. "What matters to him is what he can get done, not what he can immediately take credit for." More»

President promises US will still have 'strong presence'

(NEWSER) - As the last 6,000 American troops prepare to leave Iraq by Dec. 31, President Obama today heralded the end of the divisive war—but issued a warning to the country's neighbors: The US will continue to have a "strong presence in the Middle East." He added, in a speech made after meetings with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki this morning, that "the United States will never waiver in the defense of our allies, our partners, and our interests." More»

War on Terror has gone 'undercover': Roger Cohen

(NEWSER) - Make no mistake about it, there is an Obama Doctrine—but you won’t hear about it from the man himself. That’s because it’s a “doctrine of silence,” writes Roger Cohen in the New York Times . “America has decided that conventional wars of uncertain outcome in Iraq and Afghanistan are a bad way to fight terrorists and that far cheaper, more precise tools for eliminating enemies”—like drones and cyberwarfare—“are preferable.” In choosing this approach, President Obama has picked the lesser of two evils, Cohen asserts. More»

Iraqi officials worry longer US presence could spur sectarian violence

(NEWSER) - The US and Iraq have been discussing the possibility of leaving 10,000 US troops in Iraq after the planned withdrawal date, insiders tell the Wall Street Journal . But Iraqi leaders worry that the move could strain sectarian relations and prompt protests echoing others in the Arab world. US leaders, meanwhile, hope that such a force would maintain stability and help minimize any threat from Iran, a concern shared by Israel and Saudi Arabia. More»