Publication

The commentary discusses US-Iraq relations after the signing of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the United States and Iraq of December 2008. The author argues that US policy in post-SOFA Iraq will need to focus on five main areas of mutual interest to both countries, all of which are interrelated. They include: security, governance and institution building, democracy promotion, economic growth and development, and regional, bi-lateral relations. An effective US foreign policy will require treading softly and being sensitive to the tensions that have been build up since the US invasion of Iraq.