AP Photo

It is more than a year since the last American troops withdrew from Iraq. So where does that leave the US-Iraqi relationship today? Given the high cost, some $820 billion, and the number of US military casualties, 4,488 dead and more than 32,200 wounded, Washington might have expected the result of the invasion to be a close and enduring relationship with Iraq. In fact, Iraq seems to be fading from the US consciousness with extraordinary speed. Washington’s reduced effort to influence the country is exemplified by the decision last year to cut the number of US embassy staff in Iraq by as much as half.