US Forces Are Leaving Iraq: What Changes Next?

US forces are completing the final stage of their withdrawal from Iraq, more than two decades after the 2003 invasion and twelve years after American troops returned to fight Islamic State. This episode explains what the US withdrawal from Iraq actually means. The coalition military mission is ending, but Washington and Baghdad are moving towards a bilateral security relationship rather than cutting ties. The bigger questions now concern Iran-linked militias, the authority of the Iraqi state, the Kurdish region and whether ISIS can exploit any future security gaps. It also examines why the change cannot simply be treated as a repeat of the 2011 withdrawal, and how Iraq is trying to balance its relationships with both Washington and Tehran during a wider US-Iran conflict. Follow Taylor Tailored for more clear analysis of the forces reshaping global politics.