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Cohen: Donald Rumsfeld — Iraq invasion was his brainchild and his folly

by : Andrew Cohen , OTTAWA CITIZEN ORTLAND, Maine — On Aug. 23, they brought the body of Donald Henry Rumsfeld to Arlington National Cemetery on a flag-draped, horse-drawn caisson, accompanied by an honour guard. As a former serviceman…
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As Afghanistan Reverts, Iraq Makes Steady Progress

by : Paul Bremer and David C. Gompert , WSJ OPINION The Afghan army’s failure to slow the Taliban’s seizure of power contrasts starkly with generally favorable developments in Iraq. As Afghanistan descends into the abyss, Iraq advances…
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US Forces to Stay in Iraq and Syria

by : Elijah J. Magnier , Al Mayadeen US President Joe Biden has said his forces will stay in Iraq under a different title and will no longer be identified as “combat forces” by the end of 2021, rather as “trainers and advisors”.…
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U.S. to Announce Troop Drawdown From Iraq, but Little Is Expected to Change

by ; Jane Arraf and Eric Schmitt , The New York Times The deal appears to be the latest effort by the Iraqi prime minister to balance the needs and demands of the country’s two closest allies: the United States and Iran. BAGHDAD…
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What is Turkey’s real goal in northern Iraq’s Kurdish region?

by : SETH J. FRANTZMAN ،THE JERUSALEM POST Turkey’s growing role in northern Iraq does not correlate with any kind of increased “terrorism." In recent years, Turkey has widely expanded its role in northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish…
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Strengthening relations between Israel and Iraqi Kurdistan

reference : THE JERUSALEM POST Israel has a strong and special relationship with the Kurds, which extends to recent times when the Kurdistan Regional Government undertook a referendum to become independent. For decades, Israel was the…
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Ramadan musings: Solzhenitsyn — everybody’s pain in the neck

by : Eric Walberg , Eric Walberg When you are too close to something, someone, you are not the best analyst. Your feelings get in the way. You reveal more about who you are than who or what you love/hate. But you can see better from afar.…
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US forces accomplished their mission in Iraq and should be withdrawn

by : THE HILL , Daniel R. DePetris U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met last week with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein via videoconference in the first U.S.-Iraq Strategic Dialogue since the Biden administration was inaugurated.The…
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After 18 years in Iraq, bring troops home

by : Ed Flaherty , The Gazette Eighteen years later, U.S. troops are still in Iraq. The Pentagon says the number is 2,500. No way to verify that. Lots of U.S. contractors there too. Why are we there? The rotation of reasons resembles a roulette…
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Why Biden can’t ignore Iraq and Afghanistan, even if he might want to

by : Vox , Alex Ward When President Joe Biden gave his first foreign policy address two weeks ago, he didn’t once mention the words “Iraq” or “Afghanistan.” But events in those two countries over the past 24 hours have offered…