The U.S. is calling it quits in Iraq after 8 years, but is the breakup too soon?

President Barack Obama’s announcement that all 43,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will be coming home by the end of the year is a reason to celebrate.

In 2003, the United States entered Iraq with unclear and dubious motives. Without clear goals and definite military goals to accomplish, our troops were there simply to appease political concerns.

The troops were destined to be there until politicians decided it was politically popular to bring them home. Indeed, sending troops to Iraq gave the false impression that we were fighting terrorism.

Withdrawing U.S. military presence from Iraq marks the end of an eight-year mistake. Its realization, while it is a welcomed announcement, makes us wonder why it didn’t happen sooner, or why it had to even happen at all.

What is different now that allows for the troops to come home that didn’t allow them to come home a year ago, two years ago or even back in May 2003 when President George W. Bush declared the combat operations in Iraq as a “mission accomplished”?

The answer is that the Iraqi government and its people have grown tired of U.S. presence in their country.

Obama’s decision to bring the troops home is not a matter of a brave president doing the right thing in the face of political unpopularity. He is not the one responsible for the end of a misguided military occupation of a sovereign country. Obama is simply responding to Iraq’s weariness of the U.S. presence and its request that we leave.

“Keeping Americans in Iraq longer isn’t the answer to the problems of Iraq,” former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said. “It may be an answer to the problems of the U.S., but it’s definitely not the solution to the problems of my country.”

“Leaving would be better for them and for us,” Obama said after such a statement and similar statements from Iraqi leaders. “It’s time for us to go our separate ways.”
Obama has taken his queues from Iraq, not from any personal convictions regarding America’s responsibility of nation building.

Therein explains our presence in Iraq long after the missions was declared accomplished.

U.S. military presence is no longer beneficial to Iraq. This illusion came at a tremendous cost. Thankfully, the illusion is now over.