It's been my impression for a while that Iran, rather than the US, is most in control of Iraq, and this impression is now strengthened with the latest news out of Bagdad. The green zone is under attack. The US embassy may have to evacuate. If so, we're looking at more than just an embarrassment for the US.
If the US pulls out of Bagdad, the US army will have to leave as well. That will include army units stationed in Syria. With no US presence in Syria, Iran gains full control, not only of Iraq, but Syria and Lebanon as well.
That would be horrible news for Israel. They will do everything they can to get Iran off its doorstep. That includes going to war against Iran. However, that's only possible with US support, and the hawks in Washington are struggling to keep the public excited about the prospect of such a confrontation.
Meanwhile, US friendly forces in Tripoli are under pressure. Libya may also rid itself of US ties, and this will only serve to embolden people in other places where the US have a foothold. Moral support for the US is waning, and anti-American's are getting the upper hand.
We have a situation similar to what happened to the Soviet Union after they pulled out of Afghanistan. Moral support for the communists evaporated, and the empire crumbled into a myriad of independent states. It took decades for Russia to get back on its feet again.
This is what happens when the leaders of an empire get preoccupied with policies that only serve to lower morale within their territorial borders. People wake up to the moral decay. The enthusiasm for the regime wanes, both abroad and internally. When things fall apart at the periphery, the reverberations are felt at home, sometimes strongly enough to shake things up in ways that were unimaginable only years prior.
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| Joe Biden |
By The White House from Washington, DC - V011013DL-0556, Public Domain, Link
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