Iraqi President Barham Salih — long known as a pro-American leader — says he is no longer sure he can rely on the U.S. as an ally and may be ready to “recalibrate” Iraq’s relationship with other countries, including Iran and Russia.
Why it matters: In an extraordinarily candid interview with “Axios on HBO,” Salih said he still values his country’s alliance with the U.S. 16 years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq. He wants to keep that alliance — but made clear that the Trump administration’s policies are making that difficult.
- “The staying power of the United States is being questioned in a very, very serious way,” Salih said. “And allies of the United States are worried about the dependability of the United States.”
The big picture: The interview was conducted last Monday — six days before Trump announced the successful U.S. operation that resulted in the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
- The death of Baghdadi — which relied on America’s military and intelligence assets in Syria and Iraq — reinforces why U.S. allies like Salih worry what would happen if Trump completes his promise to withdraw the U.S. military from the Middle East.
View the complete October 27 article by Jonathan Swan on the Axios website here.