Iraq: Hope For The Future, If At A Great Cost -- Telegraph editorial
The new Iraq faces many challenges but also opportunities.
Eight hard years have passed since the first American and British troops crossed the Kuwaiti border at the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein’s regime. Following Barack Obama’s announcement yesterday that America’s remaining troops will be withdrawn in time for Christmas, questions inevitably arise as to whether the mission was ultimately worth its enormous cost. The price paid by the US for overthrowing a rogue dictator amounts to the loss of 4,500 troops and nearly $1 trillion, making it the country’s most costly military intervention since Vietnam. Britain’s combat fatalities stand at 179.
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Commentaries, Opinions, And Editorials
Be warned, America's withdrawal from Iraq heralds a world of instability -- John Bolton, The Guardian
In Iraq, Maliki is a man of the shadows -- David Ignatius, Washington Post
Bashar Assad in the balance -- L.A. Times editorial
The U.S. has options to help end the carnage in Syria -- Washington Post editorial
Yes, Obama May Call Iran Strike -- Robert Dreyfuss, The Diplomat
Who’s REALLY Blowing Up Iran? -- Michael Leeden, PJMedia
Egypt's wary Christians -- L.A. Times editorial
Alarm Grows in Congress, U.S. Intelligence, Over Iran's Latin America Threat -- Eli Lake, The Daily Beast
China’s ‘Rare Earths’: A Threat To America’s Strategic Standing -- Michael Silver, PJMedia
China's epic hangover begins -- Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, The Telegraph
Don't worry, America: China is rising but not catching up -- Michael Beckley, Christian Science Monitor
German Force-Fed Austerity to Hurt for Years -- Sebastian Dullien, Bloomberg
Europe’s economic purgatory -- Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post