Obama is in his sixth year of closing his eyes to the Middle East's deteriorating reality and the global terrorist threat

Iraq's descent into chaos

by John R. Bolton

Iraq's descent into chaos has sparked a fierce, high-decibel debate over who is responsible, a debate that unfortunately overshadows the one we truly need about how to protect American interests there today.

The historical debate is, not surprisingly, highly partisan. One side condemns George Bush's 2003 decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein; others blame Barack Obama's 2011 withdrawal of essentially all U.S. forces, leaving Iraq to itself.

I am squarely in the second camp. Obama's decision to elevate ideology and domestic politics over the national interest (plus his limp-wristed treatment of Iran's nuclear-weapons program) is largely responsible. Understanding why requires two things the anti-Bush argument sadly lacks — appreciating both the hard reality of the Middle East over the past 35 years and, as important, how historical causation actually works.

Between 1980 and 2000, Iran and Iraq, for different reasons, were each hostile to U.S. interests.

................

Read more: triblive.com