Since the end of the cold war, the Middle East has been the center of military overreach in U.S. foreign policy, peaking with the disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq. None of America’s core national interests in the Middle East warrant a large U.S. military presence — let alone military domination of the region. To better advance U.S. interests, QI works to reduce America’s military footprint, support normal diplomatic relations with all countries, and use U.S. influence to support a locally-led security architecture that would promote peace and stability.
President Biden said at his first news conference that it will be “hard to meet the May 1 deadline” for a withdrawal from Afghanistan but troops should be gone within a year. He made a similar claim as vice president, when he said, “We are leaving in 2014. Period.”
