US Troop Drawdown in Iraq: Strategic Shift, or Shrewd Election Move?

This week, the top U.S. general in the Middle East, Frank McKenzie, confirmed plans for partial troop drawdowns in both Iraq and Afghanistan scheduled to happen before the 2020 Presidential Election on Nov. 3. The plans seeks to cut the troop presence in Iraq from 5,200 to 3,000 by the end of September. Is this an earnest rethink of western hegemony in the region, or is President Donald Trump merely seeking political capital by fulfilling his 2016 campaign pledge to end “America’s endless wars.”

Host Marwa Osman speaks to 21WIRE editor Patrick Henningsen about and other key aspects of this regional situation, as well as analysis from Beirut-based political commentator, Ali Mourad, on the awkward Israel-Bahrain pact and what it means going forward.

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