Assessments

A U.S. soldier at the K1 Air Base northwest of Kirkuk in northern Iraq before a planned U.S. pullout on March 29, 2020.

As Washington prioritizes other foreign policy objectives, Iran and other outside players will step up to fill the vacuum.

What the U.S. Troop Drawdown Means for Iraq

Highlights

United States

Iran

Iraq

President-elect Joe Biden will seek to draw down the U.S. presence in Iraq due to long-standing domestic political pressure, shifting the foreign policy focus to other objectives such as near-peer competition with China and Russia. This will create room for Iran, its proxies and others to gain more influence in Iraq.

ASSESSMENTS

What the U.S. Troop Drawdown Means for Iraq

Keep Reading