The Security and Defense Committee of the Iraqi Parliament is requesting that the country’s security agreement with the United States be canceled. The news comes amid Iraq’s growing distrust of the United States, as Iraqi leaders no longer want the United States to protect the country from threats of terrorism.
Iraqi Parliament member Hamid al-Mutlaq said, “The government and parliament need to review the agreement signed with the United States on security because the United States does not seriously care about its fulfillment. We demand that it be annulled.”
This raises the concerning question of who would take America’s place. Iraq lacks the resources to properly defend itself in the incredibly hostile Middle East. Instead, Russia is the leading candidate to take on the responsibility of defending Iraq.
Another Iraqi Parliament member explained, “Soon, a meeting of the committee with Prime Minister Haider Abadi will be held, at which we will propose cooperating with Russia in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS and in the fight against terrorism in Iraq.”
If the move does go through, it should overall play a big role in consolidating the alliance between Russia, Iraq, Iran and Syria. With the move, Russia would essentially replace the United States as the Middle Eastern superpower, and it would strengthen the hold that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has on his presidency. And of course, it would finally remove the United States forces from Iraq.
Logistically, the move would help strengthen Russian and Iranian assault on ISIS. Their joint effort would be able to push deeper into eastern Syria, essentially trapping ISIS forces.
For now, it is unknown how the United States would respond if Iraqi leaders do decide to nullify the security agreement. The United States regularly takes advantage of the fact that it can land troops in the country. This would make it difficult for America to maintain its presence in the Middle East.
Most likely, the United States would become increasingly dependent upon its NATO partner of Turkey. It might also force America’s hand in cooperating with the Russians. Of course, there’s always the possibility that the United States fights for the right to preserve its strong American influence by refusing to leave Iraq.
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