The United States’ withdrawal from Iraq: Challenges and results

This essay examines the internal repercussions for Iraq of the US withdrawal. They can be summarized as the lack of a national political agenda that could lead to a unified Iraqi state; the absence of an Iraqi-centered army with national sovereignty as its main concern; failure to resolve conflicts between the Iraqi center and its periphery about a number of issues, including oil and gas; lack of clarity in the Constitution, especially paragraphs that deal with sectarianism and ethnic quotas; and a failure to resolve administrative and financial corruption.