West Asia on Course to Independence

Media outlets in the world during the past week have published many news items, in between of other news stuff, with embellishment regarding the pullout of the U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

On Tuesday, November 17, the American news website, The Hill, officially confirmed the reports that the U.S. Administration was to pull out some part of its troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by quoting the U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller in his presser as saying. Miller said that the decision will come into effect from mid-January 2021.

Miller took over the job as the Acting Defense Secretary last week after Defense Secretary Mark Esper was fired. Speaking to reporters on the withdrawal of more U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, Miller said, “President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to pull out 2,500 U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Iraq by mid-January.”

Although this news has pleased Iraqis, it has made Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan unhappy, each one for different reason. Saudis are concerned about decrease in the U.S. support from Saudi Arabia and today with the U.S. troops pullout they think how they can satisfy Iran with its such a dark record. But Afghanistan is very concerned about the massive presence and reinforcement of the Taliban group.

Following official report of withdrawal of some 2,500 U.S. troops, White House National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien announced that the complete withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan may materialize by May 2021.

He added, “The remaining troops in Iraq and Afghanistan will be employed for defending diplomats and embassies as well as assisting the U.S. allies in line with their missions. President Trump hopes all U.S.  troops would be back home by May.

I had already told that the U.S. condition due to the breathtaking coronavirus pandemic as well as poverty of over 70m people is deteriorating day in day. I had already in one of my articles explained that the U.S. had pulled out its navy forces from the Persian Gulf and its forces presence in the Persian Gulf is just part of its annual inspection of the region like inspecting other seas in the world, and arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier and two backing warships is a normal and rotating inspection and they will leave the Persian Gulf after finishing their periodic visit according the schedule. So these warships unlike the previous U.S. naval fleet are not to have permanent presence in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. after ending its permanent presence in the Persian Gulf has handed over its military base in Bahrain and they have moved its headquarters from Qatar to California in order to remain safe from possible Iran’s revenge of assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani and his comrades.

So the U.S. has ended the operation for pulling out its troops from the Persian Gulf. I note here that after 1971 when the British pulled out their forces from the Suez Canal, the U.S. Navy forces replaced them, now this presence has also come to an end. And now no regional government but Iran has a strong and serious navy in the Persian Gulf and European countries’ naval presence in the Persian Gulf is just symbolic.

We should know that the current world economic condition as well as era of cheap oil price has caused the U.S. to pack its bags from the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan and experts predict that the price of oil between 40 to 50 dollars is a cheap one and the Middle East economy is in the phase of decline in demand. Of course, election of Joe Biden as the U.S. President will ease the ground for materialization of the U.S. pullout from the region.

With the withdrawal of the U.S. forces from the region, it seems natural that the regional countries would experience the color of more independence and the ground for materialization of more rational democracy will be paved more. Hope for the day when no alien may rule over the fate of the West Asia.

  By: Hamid Reza Naghashian