Foreign Policy

Statement from Will Ruger on Iraqi Parliament Vote

January 6, 2020

ARLINGTON, Va.—Stand Together Trust’s William Ruger, Vice President of Research and Policy, issued the following statement on reports of the Iraqi Parliament moving toward legislation to force U.S. troops to leave the country:

“The United States doesn’t need Iraq to push our troops out of the country. Our interests no longer require a troop presence in Iraq, therefore withdrawing U.S. forces from the country is both prudent and responsible. Doing so will save ourselves from further lost lives and wasted resources in a country where our objectives have been muddled from the beginning and where our presence hasn’t served a sound national security purpose for some time. Prolonging an American troop presence in the country only needlessly puts our brave men and women at risk and heightens tensions in an already precarious situation. We made a mistake when we entered the country years ago. We shouldn’t make a similar mistake by refusing to withdraw our troops now. We shouldn’t wait to do the right thing.”

BACKGROUND

The Iraqi parliament voted 170-0 on Sunday to expel U.S. forces from the country following the U.S. military strike that killed Iranian IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani. The vote begins the process to ask U.S. troops to withdraw. The parliament will still need to pass formal legislation before American troops would be forced to leave.

Stand Together Trust is working to expand public debate about what foreign policy will make us more safe and secure. Find out more below:

Public Realism on Afghanistan

War Is the Least Conservative Undertaking – An Interview with Dr. William Ruger

 

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