What Iraq Has Taught America

In Iraq in Hindsight: Views on the U.S. Withdrawal, Emma Sky offers a pointed critique of U.S. policy over the last decade, arguing that valuable lessons can be learned from the country's "American era" now that U.S. forces have withdrawn. A senior fellow at the Jackson Institute at Yale and a political advisor in Iraq to General Raymond Odierno from 2007 to 2010, Sky examines these lessons learned and urges U.S. policymakers to set realistic goals for future intervention. America’s experience in Iraq, she argues, should teach American leaders that above all, having a clear strategy, working to reach a political settlement and building long-term relationships with foreign leaders is critical. Sky examines these lessons by recounting her own experience in Iraq and asks, "could the United States have left Iraq a better state?"