Does the United States suffer from a learning disability in Iraq?

FP editor in chief Moisés Naím has a new piece at PostGlobal, the Washington Post‘s innovative 24/7 “conversation on global issues with David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria.” Naím fears that the United States is operating under the same faulty assumptions in getting out of Iraq that it operated under in going in to Iraq. And ...

By , a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.
602763_070406_moises_naim_05.jpg
602763_070406_moises_naim_05.jpg

FP editor in chief Moisés Naím has a new piece at PostGlobal, the Washington Post's innovative 24/7 "conversation on global issues with David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria."

FP editor in chief Moisés Naím has a new piece at PostGlobal, the Washington Post‘s innovative 24/7 “conversation on global issues with David Ignatius and Fareed Zakaria.”

Naím fears that the United States is operating under the same faulty assumptions in getting out of Iraq that it operated under in going in to Iraq. And we all know how well that turned out, right? Naím cites three major faulty assumptions that, together, add up to a “learning disability” that the United States—including both the Bush administration and the Democrats in Congress—must overcome if it is ever to understand the problem of Iraq:

  • Overestimating the capabilities of the Iraqi government
  • Overestimating the capabilities of the U.S. government
  • Disdaining diplomacy

Check it out.

Blake Hounshell is a former managing editor of Foreign Policy.

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.