If U.S. forces leave Iraq by 30 September 2026, Washington should view the departure not as the end of its relationship with Baghdad but as an opportunity to redefine it. The U.S. will retain influence in Iraq, but it will have to exercise that influence differently. America’s challenge will be transitioning from control to influence. For two decades, the military presence gave Washington an extraordinary degree of leverage over Iraq. Once U.S. troops leave, leverage will diminish, but the U.S. will retain important instruments of power:…

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