Skeptical as I am about the balance of Daniel R. DePetris’s piece at 1945 on the Biden Administration’s policy with respect to Iran, I completely agree with this passage:
The U.S. should also take unilateral steps to de-prioritize the Middle East in its overall grand strategy and reduce its military presence in the region more generally. Washington can start by removing U.S. ground forces from Iraq and Syria a presence that puts U.S. personnel at significant risk from a number of security threats—including rocket attacks from Iranian-sponsored Shia militias. These withdrawals wouldn’t be a gift to Iran as is frequently portrayed, but rather a long-overdue acknowledgment from the Biden administration that the U.S. counterterrorism mission in both countries has been accomplished.
It’s good advice. Sadly, I see little prospect of the administration taking it. Quite to the contrary I think it’s more likely they’ll attempt to do the impossible: re-engage with the Iranian regime while escalating their efforts in Syria and Iraq.
We can’t, with our enormous debt load, we are dependent on the petrodollar, and the Saudi’s are dependent on us for survival.