Pbs iconPbsSep 30, 2026

Former diplomats assess U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and region's future

The withdrawal brought celebrations in the capital -- but also concern about what comes next. For insight and analysis, Geoff Bennett spoke with James Jeffrey and Feisal Istrabadi.

Former diplomats assess U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and region's future

Share this story

Send the public story page.

Useful takeaways from this story.

The withdrawal brought celebrations in the capital -- but also concern about what comes next.

For insight and analysis, Geoff Bennett spoke with James Jeffrey and Feisal Istrabadi.

Jeffrey was ambassador to Iraq under President Obama, and Istrabadi served as Iraq's ambassador to the UN.

Building the complete brief

The page is ready to read now. The fuller skim-friendly version will appear here automatically.

The useful part

The withdrawal brought celebrations in the capital -- but also concern about what comes next. For insight and analysis, Geoff Bennett spoke with James Jeffrey and Feisal Istrabadi. Jeffrey was ambassador to Iraq under President Obama, and Istrabadi served as Iraq's ambassador to the UN.

Keep reading in the app

Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.

Open in app