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Published by USA Today.
Any discussion about the future of the United States' presence in Iraq must begin with a sobering analysis of what our occupation has cost us—in both American lives and missed opportunities to invest in our country's future. The reckless decision of the previous administration to enter into this unnecessary war of choice has resulted in the loss of 4,384 American lives, at least 100,000 Iraqi civilian lives and $747.3 billion.
Putting this last number in perspective, the funds expended abroad could have paid for one-year college scholarships for 115 million students, allowed our cash-strapped state governments to hire 12 million elementary school teachers, or put an additional 16 million cops on the streets to protect our communities.
While the wisest course of action would have been to avoid this costly conflict entirely, we must, at the very least, honor the Status of Forces Agreement entered into by the U.S. and the Iraqi governments in November 2008. It states that the U.S. will remove its combat troops by the end of this August, followed by the removal of all U.S. forces from the country by Dec. 31, 2011.
All parties, political and otherwise, currently operating in Iraq are relying on the U.S. to follow through on this mutually negotiated troop removal timeline. The fledgling government in Baghdad has derived much of its legitimacy from the Iraqi people by appearing to stand up to the American occupation and by providing internal security independent of U.S. forces.
Moreover, various political, regional and ethnic factions have been operating under the assumption that the American presence was nearing its end. With this understanding, they have been negotiating the political arrangements that will lay the foundation for long-term stability in Iraq.
The success of these efforts could be threatened by our failure to live up to the withdrawal timetable outlined in the agreement. A peaceful, stable government in Iraq can only be achieved when its citizens are focused on the future of their country instead of on an unending military occupation.
Rep. John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus, created in 2005 to push to bring U.S. troops home.
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