A price too high?
Fred Kaplan on Barry McCaffrey on Iraq: He asks, "Do we have the political will, do we have the military power, will we spend the resources required to achieve our aims?" Whether or not McCaffrey meant to imply as much, the answer to all three questions is probably "No." By his own formulation, after all, ...
Fred Kaplan on Barry McCaffrey on Iraq:
Fred Kaplan on Barry McCaffrey on Iraq:
He asks, "Do we have the political will, do we have the military power, will we spend the resources required to achieve our aims?"
Whether or not McCaffrey meant to imply as much, the answer to all three questions is probably "No." By his own formulation, after all, mustering the will, power, and resources will require 10 more years of occupation, $50 billion to $100 billion in economic aid alone, who knows how many more hundreds of billions of dollars in military spending, who knows how many more thousands of casualties—and even then great uncertainty would remain about the Iraqis' ability to hold their nation together.
More from Foreign Policy

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.