General Babaker Shawkat Zebari, the commander of Iraq’s military, is suggesting that the United States stick around for, oh, another ten years or so. “If I were asked about the withdrawal, I would say to politicians: the U.S. army must stay until the Iraqi army is fully ready in 2020,” he said at a conference in Baghdad. “Look at the Turks, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain,” he said. “All of these countries have American bases under bilateral agreements. And I don’t think we should be afraid of that idea.” He’s like a mom dealing with her soon-to-be empty nest, fruitlessly trying to convince her son to go to a local college instead of the one a five-hour drive away. Oh, sure, he’ll say it’s about “security” and “fighting the insurgency,” but he’ll just miss us too much, is what it is.
